After months of work, a group of college students concluded just how permanent the changes to the landscape might be -- and drew the attention of government scientists.
Published Jan. 31, 2022 9:54 AM EST | Updated Jan. 31, 2022 4:14 PM EST
When Hurricane Dorian dealt a glancing blow to the coast of North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane in 2019, it left behind a new landscape on the northernmost island of the Outer Banks that has scientists asking how long it might stick around -- and what it could mean for humans and the environment.
On Sept. 6, 2019, the center of Hurricane Dorian moved over Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, unloading more than a foot of rainfall onto some locations and ushering in a storm surge that sent many seeking shelter in their attics. Video of the floodwaters rising in Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, was shared across social media, especially as concern grew over people trapped on the island, which is accessible only by boat or by air. Storm surge rose 5 to 6 feet within an hour and a half, Katie Webster, who at the time served as the State Emergency Management meteorologist for North Carolina, told The New York Times.
At the uninhabited North Core Banks, just south of Ocracoke Island, the aftermath of Dorian looked a bit different.
"The storm pushed all of this water on the western side of Pamlico Sound, and as the storm left, the wind reversed, and all that water came rushing back," Dr. Nathan Hall, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Institute of Marine Sciences told AccuWeather National Reporter Emmy Victor.
Dr. Nathan Hall, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Institute of Marine Sciences. (Flickr/UNC Institute of Marine Sciences)
He added that a "seven-and-a-half foot wall of water" flooded back across the banks from the south side, ripping 90 new inlets across the North Core Banks in the process. Some of those inlets sealed up, leaving ponds scattered up and down North Core Banks. He estimated there are still about 50 of them out there.
"The [U.S. National] Park Service didn't know what to do with these ponds," Hall said. "They've been managing the banks for years and years and years without these ponds, and now all of a sudden they're new features of the landscape, but they had no idea what to do with it. So they contacted us and we were looking for a class project, and so that's how it all came about."
A capstone course of 17 students undertook the project, looking to answer some of the NPS's questions about what animals were using the ponds, how long the ponds might stick around, what factors were shaping the ponds going forward, among other things. UNC at Chapel Hill undergraduate Prisca Lim, who participated in the project, told Victor that the students essentially had free range in creating their own research questions and coming up with their own methods.
"There was a set destination, but how we got there was up to us," Lim said.
UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate Prisca Lim kayaks near North Core Banks. (Prisca Lim)
The students broke into groups, studying six new ponds and three old ponds over the course of the semester. It wasn't without its challenges, though.
The most challenging part of the semester, according to Lim, was getting to North Core Banks. The island is accessible only via boat, and the ponds, especially the older ones, were shrouded by thick areas of vegetation. However, the hands-on experience was well worth it.
"Being able to be in the field is not something that every undergraduate gets to do," Lim said. "So having experience like actual fieldwork and feeling what it's like to be a scientist and doing research and facing all the troubles in research -- and trying to overcome them -- it's a very enriching experience."
Once the semester was over, the students presented their findings on Dec. 6 with a small in-person group and an online audience.
Among their findings, they highlighted that precipitation is a major driver of elevation change, with sediment being transported toward the ponds driven by rain, not overwash; the ponds have two harmful bacteria that could pose a public health risk, and there's relatively low diversity and abundance of bottom-dwelling invertebrates, according to the Coastal Review, a nonprofit news service that covers issues related to the North Carolina coast.
UNC-Chapel Hill students studied a handful of ponds at North Core Banks. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Hall added that one finding was that the ponds would likely disappear within a few years unless dunes formed around them.
While their work around the ponds had concluded when the semester was over, Lim said that she felt like there was still more to research and learn about the ponds.
"I know a lot of us, and myself especially felt like, OK, this is the information we have, but we still don't know so many things, and it would be really good if we could come back next year, but, you know, that's not always a choice you get to make."
The research will continue on the banks with Dr. Antonio Rodriguez, an instructor for the course, continuing to look at the ponds and observing how the landscape changes over time, Hall said. He added that the United States Geological Survey had also contacted him about the research looking to cite the students' report.
"I thought that was really cool that the students' report is going to be cited in the peer-reviewed scientific literature," Hall said. "I'm sure they're going to be really excited to hear that, too."
Reporting by Emmy Victor.
More to see:
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
No comments:
Post a Comment