Impacts of Hurricane Irma on Florida Bay Islands, Everglades National Park, USA

Hurricane Irma, a category 4 storm that struck south Florida in September 2017, had mixed impacts on the islands of Florida Bay within Everglades National Park. While interior mudflats gained elevation due to storm overwash deposits ranging from 0.5 to 6.5 cm, mangrove berms and transitional areas experienced erosion and loss of elevation. The western-most island, closest to the storm's eye, lost 32 to 42% of its eastern berm width and saw a 9.3% reduction in vegetated coverage (~9700 m²), whereas the eastern-most island had a smaller reduction of 1.9% (~9200 m²). These findings provide critical insights into the dual role of hurricanes—both destructive to vegetation and elevation, yet constructive by depositing sediment—that contribute to the resilience of Florida Bay islands over time.

Wingard, G. L., Bergstresser, S. E., Stackhouse, B. L., Jones, M. C., Marot, M. E., Hoefke, K., Daniels, A., & Keller, K. (2019). Impacts of Hurricane Irma on Florida Bay Islands, Everglades National Park, USA. Estuaries and Coasts, 43(5), 1070–1089. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00638-7