Regional validation of mangrove resilience responses to hurricanes in the Caribbean

The severity of extreme events, such as the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, has brought the issue of coastal protection to the forefront. The past year alone saw more than 17 storms and 10 consecutive hurricanes in the tropical Atlantic shores. Three of them, Maria, Irma, and Harvey, were Category 5 events, showing unique patterns of intensification that defied accurate prediction. With preliminary costs estimated at $200-475 billion USD, losses exceed those reported by Super Storm Sandy, Hurricane Ike, or Hurricane Rita. The extent of devastation has crippled the tourism economies of Caribbean nations, with islands like Puerto Rico still struggling to recover basic access to services. In the years to come, it is expected that demographic growth will continue to expand into coastal areas; as much as 1.4 billion people will be living in low elevation zones by 2060). This project will seek to validate and improve damage and disturbance estimates to mangroves forests across the Caribbean over the last two decades in response to hurricanes.

Scholars @ ECU