Dendroecology of Hurricanes and the Potential for Isotopic Reconstructions in Southeastern Texas

Abstract

Hurricanes affect much of the lower to mid latitudes around the world. Hurricane season is during autumn when ocean waters have warmed from the summer, providing enough energy to maintain these large storms. Hurricanes cause severe damage when they make landfall with torrential rains and high wind speeds. Past occurrence of hurricanes can be documented through sediment analysis (Liu and Fearn 1993) but dendrochronological documentation of past hurricanes is a relatively new application that is just now being developed. This paper will present some recent research around the effects of Hurricane Rita and examine the potential for future dendrochronological reconstructions of hurricanes.