Multi-disciplinary assessment of the impacts of Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012 just north of Atlantic City, New Jersey.  As the largest hurricane (by area) on record, Hurricane Sandy had major impacts to mid-Atlantic and northeast U.S. landscapes through high winds and a tidal surge synced with the full moon tide.  In addition to being the second costliest storm on record with devastating human impacts, the storm affected hundreds of miles of coastline and wreaked havoc on numerous coastal and inland ecosystems.  In response to the storm, the USGS is undertaking multidisciplinary studies to examine landscape-level and site specific ecosystem impacts through a variety of methods including multi-sensor remote sensing studies using LiDAR, Landsat, radar, and aerial photography interpretation, sediment accretion and loss studies using surface elevation tables, forest resource impact studies using field and remote sensing observations of wind and surge-induced salinity, studies of avian response using meteorological radar and surveys of nesting sites, animal health impact studies using fish, mussels, and diamond back terrapins, and ecosystem modeling of marsh and aquatic community impacts from surge and wind.  These ecosystem studies are part of a larger suite of studies examining additional elements of physical and hydrological change due to the storm.  When taken in their entirety, the USGS studies, as well studies by our partners, will provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, landscape-level assessment of the storm’s impact, as well as an assessment of ecosystem vulnerability to future extreme events.