NASA data reveals ecological impact from Hurricane Floyd

These images take by the Landsat 7 satellite capture the massive flow of sedimentation and waste runoff in the area most affected by flooding after Hurricane Floyd. The dark coloration in the engorged waterways indicates heavy concentrations of organic material that's been washed into the water system, according to NASA

November 5, 1999
Web posted at: 9:34 a.m. EST (1434 GMT)

(CNN) -- Satellite imagery indicates that Hurricane Floyd's record-breaking rains may have had a major impact on the marine food chain along the North Carolina coast, a NASA oceanographer says.

Following Hurricane Floyd, rains continued to soak the area, washing mountains of sediment and waste into the water system, says Gene Feldman of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"Now rivers and tributaries along the Atlantic are choked and major ecological changes are happening," Feldman says.

Using data from NASA's Earth-orbiting Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor(SeaWiFS) and an airborne laser instrument, scientists from two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) centers can monitor algae growth over large regions, including Pamlico Sound between the North Carolina mainland and the Outer Banks.

Periodically, levels of dissolved oxygen in the water have dropped dramatically as organic matter decomposes, and aquatic life has been threatened in dozens of estuaries and peripheral habitats, commonly referred to as "dead zones," Feldman said.

"The current changes in the area may have lasting repercussions for hundreds of thousands of people," he says.

Scientists are studying Hurricane Floyd's effect on algae blooms and phytoplankton, important links in the regional marine food chain. Their data also will help them understand how the hurricane's aftermath may affect the fragile environment in the coming months.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist Pat Tester said the long-term observations provided by the NASA technology will help scientists monitor the phytoplankton in the water.

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"The NASA technology improves our ability to monitor these important fishery areas by covering larger areas than direct sampling from boats can and by providing this information for weeks or months," Tester says.

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Nature's Wrath

The laser system, the Airborne Oceanographic Lidar from Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility, transmits a green light pulse into the water, where the light is absorbed by the phytoplankton. A receiver on the aircraft detects the green light reflected from the water's surface and red light that is emitted by the chlorophyll pigment in the algae.

The SeaWiFS instrument measures changes in water color that indicate where concentrations of phytoplankton are located.

NOAA's Coastal Services Center in Charleston, South Carolina, also is taking part in the research.