Hurricane Sandy News

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is building on existing knowledge of the coastal barrier island system along the south shore of Long Island, N.Y., which includes Fire Island National Seashore, to fill critical data gaps, monitor and map the morphologic change in response to and after Hurricane Sandy and develop predictive models of response and resilience.

BOEM’s Hurricane Sandy response on New Jersey’s Atlantic Coast making steady progress

Knowing the location, composition and potential volume of available offshore sand resources is critical to being prepared for future storms.

Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine are among the 13 Atlantic states that signed cooperative agreements with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in 2014 to help coastal communities recover from Hurricane Sandy and promote resilient coastal systems.

BOEM assesses the importance of offshore sand shoal habitats to fisheries

The U.S. Geological Survey will soon publish an assessment of environmental contaminants that have persisted in sediments, groundwater, fish and mussels several months after Hurricane Sandy and provide ways to improve assessments of environmental contaminants associated with future storms.

Scientists are exploring the submerged marine resources of coastal parks to understand how these habitats are changing in response to storms, sea-level rise, ocean warming and other factors so that effective protection and management strategies can be implemented.

Complex spatial data sets must be readily available for park personnel to determine how storms have impacted park resources. The Geospatial Data Management project will guide parks in their geospatial preparedness, response, and procedures in future storm events.