Project Type
individual
Authors' Class Standing
Matthew Adams, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
Matthew Adams
Faculty Mentor Name
Chris Herbster
Abstract
Florida is prone to experiencing the impacts of hurricanes that have formed in the Atlantic Basin. This project provides a detailed analysis of the impacts of hurricanes Irma and Matthew with heavy reliance on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. These two storms, from recent seasons, provide an opportunity to compare a storm moving along the Florida East Coast (Matthew) and Florida West Coast (Irma). Each storms’ final track is mapped using QGIS, an open source software, to more easily visualize the final storm movement as it relates to the Florida Peninsula. An analysis of the evolution of storm surge forecasts is compared to the actual surge levels experienced during each storm. Through the Integrated Data Viewer (IDV), a variety of meteorological properties are presented for each storm including quantities such as sea surface temperature, low level winds, storm surge, and precipitation at various times in the storms life cycle. Emergency managers can utilize this data to communicate the possible effects of a storm with a similar path in the future. Overall, differences in track result in vastly different effects on the Florida peninsula.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Using GIS Tools to Compare Hurricane Matthew and Irma Impacts to Florida
Florida is prone to experiencing the impacts of hurricanes that have formed in the Atlantic Basin. This project provides a detailed analysis of the impacts of hurricanes Irma and Matthew with heavy reliance on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. These two storms, from recent seasons, provide an opportunity to compare a storm moving along the Florida East Coast (Matthew) and Florida West Coast (Irma). Each storms’ final track is mapped using QGIS, an open source software, to more easily visualize the final storm movement as it relates to the Florida Peninsula. An analysis of the evolution of storm surge forecasts is compared to the actual surge levels experienced during each storm. Through the Integrated Data Viewer (IDV), a variety of meteorological properties are presented for each storm including quantities such as sea surface temperature, low level winds, storm surge, and precipitation at various times in the storms life cycle. Emergency managers can utilize this data to communicate the possible effects of a storm with a similar path in the future. Overall, differences in track result in vastly different effects on the Florida peninsula.