Coastal HAzaRds Modeling lab
OUR RESEARCH
Evolution of the breach generated during Hurricane Matthew (2016): In October 2016, during Hurricane Matthew, breach opened south of Matanzas Inlet. The breach evolved into a well developed inlet, with a main-channel and an ebb-tidal delta. The inlet was artificially closed the 30th of November 2016. Using aerial imagery acquired with UAVs we are analyzing the response of the inlet to external forces (waves and tides). This project is funded by NSF and USGS.
The main goal of this multidisciplinary project is to enable better understanding and predictive ability of hurricane impacts, to serve and protect coastal communities. For more information about the project please visit:
Meteotsunamis during tropical cyclones: Analysis of 20-year time series of water levels measured by the NOAA tidal gauges in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico has revealed that meteotsunamis are ubiquitous in this region. They can be triggered by winter and summer extra-tropical storms and by tropical cyclones. As an example, in this figure we can see the atmospheric radar reflectivity mosaics obtained from NOAA during Hurricane Hermine (2016). The squalls associated with the hurricane produced meteotsunamis that were measured in Naples and Clearwater Beach.
Water quality in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary and the St Lucie Estuary
Within our lab we analyze the physical factor that affect water quality issues in the Caloosahatchee River Estuary, located in the western coast of Florida, and in the St Licie River Estuary, located in the eastern coast. Both estuaries are connected to Lake Okeechobee, thru regulated fresh-water releases. In CHarm Lab we analyze the main physical processes that contribute to the residence times and the water age within the different parts of the estuaries; one of our goals is to ascertain how the freshwater releases from Lake Okeechobee might affect the algal growth and transport.
