By Vance Nygard, Texas A&M University College of Geosciences
The first major hurricane to make landfall on the United States mainland since 2005, Hurricane Harvey was a disaster: killing more than 80, displacing millions and causing billions of dollars in property damage. Such fast, severe environmental alterations also leave behind conditions that need to be studied.
Harvey’s quick escalation gave Texans little time to prepare. At 10 a.m. on Aug. 23, the weather system had “no sustained winds of Tropical Storm Force;” 48 hours later, Harvey was a Category 2 hurricane and strengthening, and that night Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm.
Now, the department hopes to learn from the hurricane, thanks to recent funding from the federal government.
The National Science Foundationrequested proposals Sept. 1 “focusing on projects with severe urgency” to “address the challenges related to this storm.” Numerous professors in the Department of Oceanography responded, three proposals were funded and the work has already begun.
The lead investigators of the three projects have coordinated ship time on the RV Point Sur from Sept. 22 to Oct. 1 and are currently out in the coastal waters of Texas conducting this research.
The ongoing project will provide undergraduate wildlife students with hands-on field experience while yielding important insights into the animals’ behaviors.