# **Updates** ## Newest Updates ### Thomson #### December 10, 2025 **[NHCI Presentation Citations](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/presentation-citations)** A full repository of presentations by NHCI team members. ### Thomson #### November 12, 2024 **[StoryMap: Hurricane coastal impacts](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/storymap-hurricane-coastal-impacts)** A StoryMap describing key aspects of the NHCI project and how they contribute to advancing scientists' ability to predict storm impacts. ### Thomson #### October 21, 2024 **[Wave buoy arrays deployed for Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/wave-buoy-arrays-deployed-hurricane-helene-milton)** The NOPP Hurricane Coastal Impacts 3A teams successfully deployed over 60 wave buoys in rapid response to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. ### Nederhoff #### September 24, 2024 **[Deltares Modelling Results Presented at ICCE2024 and in Storymap](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/deltares-modelling-results-icce2024-storymap)** Deltares presented their results on coastal flooding and damages due to hurricanes Ian (2022), Idalia (2023), Beryl (2024) and Francine (2024) at ICCE2024 and in Storymap. ### Gesch #### September 18, 2024 **[RUSH: Rapid remote sensing updates of landcover for storm and hurricane forecasts](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/rapid-remote-sensing-landcover-storm-hurricane-forecasts)** A tool for production of rapid-repeat high-resolution coastal vegetation maps has been developed. ### Thomson #### September 12, 2024 **[Surface wave buoys and subsurface water level sensors deployed in rapid response to Hurricane Francine](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/rapid-response-hurricane-francine)** The NHCI project coordinated the airdrop of 16 surface wave buoys and subsurface water level sensors in the path of Hurricane Francine. ### Thomson #### August 20, 2024 **[NOPP Hurricane Coastal Impacts Project 2024 Summer Forum Series](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/2024-summer-forum-series)** NOPP hosted a series of five virtual sessions in June and July of 2024 for the public to learn about the contributions and activities of the nine NOPP Hurricane Coastal Impacts (NHCI) project teams. ### Thomson #### September 19, 2023 **[Research Squadron VXS-1 Mobilizes Quickly to Track Hurricane Idalia](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/research-squadron-track-hurricane-idalia)** U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Scientific Development Squadron (VXS) 1 mobilized a crew for a NP-3C Orion operation with less than 24 hours’ notice to airdrop 10 Sofar Spotter buoys in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Idalia on Monday, August 28. ### Thomson #### September 7, 2023 **[Rapid response buoy array airdropped to sample Hurricane Idalia](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/rapid-response-buoy-array-airdrop-sample-hurricane-idalia)** On Monday, August 28th, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Scientific Development Squadron (VXS-1) airdropped 18 buoys associated with the Task 3A teams of the NOPP Hurricane Coastal Impacts project in the path of Hurricane Idalia. ### Romeiser #### July 26, 2023 **[Presentations at IGARSS 2023](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/presentations-igarss-2023)** At IGARSS 2023 in Pasadena, CA, the PIs of the two Task 2 remote sensing groups of the University of Miami and the University of Massachusetts presented results of their Hurricane Ian studies. ### Nederhoff #### July 17, 2023 **[2023 Hurricane Season and a look back at Ian](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/2023-hurricane-season-look-back-ian)** The Deltares team forecasts 2023 hurricane activity for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts, and looks back at predictions for Hurricane Ian. ### Nederhoff #### May 17, 2023 **[Uncertainties in predicting barrier island morphodynamic response to hurricane impact](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/uncertainties-predicting-barrier-island-morphodynamic-response-hurricane-impact)** In the Coastal Sediments 2023 meeting in New Orleans, Ellen Quataert of the Deltares team shared modelling and observational results of the effect of dune and backbay vegetation on barrier island breaching processes in Florida and North Carolina. ### Nederhoff #### May 16, 2023 **[FHICS – Forecasting Hurricane Impacts on CoastS (Hurricane Ian Edition)](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/forecasting-hurricane-impacts-coasts-hurricane-ian)** The Deltares team on modelling hurricane impacts presented their results on the impacts of Hurricane Ian at the Coastal Sediments Conference, held 12-14 April in New Orleans, LA. ### Luettich #### December 14, 2022 **[NHCI teams meet for 2022 all-hands meeting](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/nhci-2022-all-hands-meeting)** From November 29 to December 1st, all ten NHCI teams gathered at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, for the 2022 all-hands meeting. ### Thomson #### November 1, 2022 **[NHCI highlighted in White House press release](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/nhci-white-house-press-release)** The National Oceanographic Partnership Program’s (NOPP) Predicting Hurricane Coastal Impacts Project (NHCI) was mentioned in a White House press release. ### Thomson #### October 17, 2022 **[Buoy observations obtained in Hurricane Ian](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/buoy-observations-obtained-in-hurricane-ian)** Following the rapid-response air deployment of an array of buoys in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Ian, team members closely monitored the data collected by the devices. ### Brown #### October 7, 2022 **[Hurricane Ian Response](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/hurricane-ian-response)** Task 3B met our project objectives to rapidly deploy water level and wave sensors in cross-shore transects, spanning offshore to inland, to collect data for model validation, following a short but effective timeline. ### Centurioni #### October 7, 2022 **[Directional Wave Spectra Drifter Array Measures Massive Waves on Hurricane Ian’s Approach](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/directional-wave-spectra-drifter-array-measures-massive-waves-on-hurricane-ians-approach)** by Martha Schönau, Luca Centurioni, Steve Jayne, and Elizabeth Sanabia ### Nederhoff #### October 5, 2022 **[FHICS – Successful forecast of Hurricane Ian impacts](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/fhics-successful-forecast-of-hurricane-ian-impacts)** Hurricane Ian was the first 2022 hurricane to make landfall in the continental USA with strong Cat 5 winds and large amounts of rain. The team of Deltares USA, Deltares Netherlands, USGS and NRL successfully applied the COSMOS modelling system to forecast hurricane Ian’s flood and morphological impact. ### Doyle/Moskaitis #### October 5, 2022 **[Validation of COAMPS-TC forecasts of Hurricane Ian: Florida landfall](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/validation-of-coamps-tc-forecasts-of-hurricane-ian-florida-landfall)** Jon Moskaitis, Will Komaromi, and James Doyle (NRL-Monterey) ### Romeiser #### September 30, 2022 **[Coastline Changes Extracted From SAR Images](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/coastline-changes-extracted-sar-images)** Example result featuring COSMO-SkyMed SAR images obtained by the University of Miami's remote sensing team in the hours after the landfall of Hurricane Ian. ### Thomson #### September 30, 2022 **[Successful air deployment of buoys with NRL partnership ahead of Hurricane Ian](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/successful-air-deployment-of-buoys-with-nrl-partnership-ahead-of-hurricane-ian)** On Monday, September 26th, 2022, 20 buoys were successfully deployed in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Ian as part of the NOPP Hurricane Coastal Impacts project. The deployment, which was facilitated by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, created a real-time sensor network to monitor Ian’s location and intensity as it advanced towards Florida’s Gulf Coast. ### Romeiser #### September 29, 2022 **[Sanibel Causeway Damages Imaged by COSMO-SkyMed](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/sanibel-causeway-damages-imaged-cosmo-skymed)** The Task 2 team has obtained SAR images of the region on Florida's west coast affected by the landfall of Hurricane Ian. This update shows a COSMO-SkyMed SAR image of the Sanibel Causeway, specifically, which was heavily damaged by the storm. ### Romeiser #### September 7, 2022 **[Improved TerraSAR-X Radargrammetry Results](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/improved-terrasar-x-radargrammetry-results)** The University of Miami group prepared a status report on new achievements in the improvement of radargrammetry products. ### Romeiser #### September 7, 2022 **[Capella SAR Radargrammetry Update](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/capella-sar-radargrammetry-update)** Steve Frasier of the remote sensing group at the University of Massachusetts presented some new stereo radargrammetry results based on the Capella SAR images of the Hurricane Michael test area. ### Brown #### August 16, 2022 **[Sofar deploys Spotter Smart Moorings along coastlines](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/sofar-deploys-spotter-smart-moorings-along-coastlines)** Sofar has started deploying Smart Moorings (Spotter buoys sensing surface waves, temperature, and barometric pressure along with water level from subsurface pressure sensors) in key locations in the Gulf and Atlantic coast to provide critical offshore observations (~20m depth) in tandem with cross-shore transects of USGS land-based water level observations to improve forecasts of hurricane impacts. ### Olabarrieta #### August 16, 2022 **[NOAA Unifying Innovations in Forecasting Capabilities Workshop](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/noaa-unifying-innovations-in-forecasting-capabilities-workshop)** July 18-22, 2022, College Park, MD ### Nederhoff #### July 18, 2022 **[FHICS - Forecasting Hurricane Impacts on CoastS model system v1.0 ready](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/fhics-forecasting-hurricane-impacts-on-coasts-model-system-v1-0-ready)** In the framework of the NOPP project “Hurricane Coastal Impacts” Deltares USA, Deltares Netherlands, USGS, NRL-SSC and IHE Delft are developing a forecasting system that can compute hurricane impacts of flooding, erosion and structural damage along the US Gulf of Mexico coast and the Eastern Seaboard. ### Nederhoff #### July 6, 2022 **[COSMOS modelling system and visualization training](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/cosmos-modelling-system-and-visualization-training)** On July 5th, the Deltares modelling team was trained in the use of the COSMOS modelling system and visualization tool. The modelling system consists of large-scale surge (using SFINCS) and wave (using HurryWave) models for the Northern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico which will be forced with COAMPS and/or GFS meteo. These large-scale models in turn drive SFINCS overland flood models and XBeach morphodynamic models. At the moment, 11 SFINCS models are implemented along the entire Gulf of Mexico coast and the South East Atlantic Coast. 100s of XBeach models are implemented along the sandy coastlines of the Gulf as well. In the training Roel de Goede instructed the other members on the workflow of running a hurricane event. Pictured are (from left to right: Ap van Dongeren, Roel de Goede, Panos Athanasiou, Maarten van Ormondt and Ellen Quataert. (Not pictured: Floor Roelvink and Kees Nederhoff). A screenshot of the NOPP event viewer shows the current (non-hurricane) wave conditions in the Northern Atlantic as computed using our new and fast HurryWave model. ### Thomson #### April 29, 2022 **[microSWIFTs: Tiny Oceanographic Floats Measure Extreme Coastal Conditions](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/microswifts-tiny-oceanographic-floats-measure-extreme-coastal-conditions)** ### Brown #### April 1, 2022 **[April 2022 – Field Testing at the USACE Field Research Facility in the Outer Banks, North Carolina](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/april-2022-field-testing-at-the-usace-field-research-facility-in-the-outer-banks-north-carolina)** In preparation for land-based sensor deployments during the 2022 Hurricane season, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted field tests at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, North Carolina in late March 2022. ### Nederhoff #### February 15, 2022 **[Forecasting Hurricanes on Coasts](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/forecasting-hurricanes-on-coasts)** ### Brown #### January 26, 2022 **[Task 3B - Jenna Brown](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/task-3b-jenna-brown)** ### Romeiser #### January 24, 2022 **[TerraSAR-X Radargrammetry Products From Airbus Defence and Space](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/terrasar-x-radargrammetry-products-from-airbus-defence-and-space)** The University of Miami group received first radargrammetry results from industry partner Airbus Defence and Space in December. These land topography products are based on a set of SAR images of the area on the Florida panhandle where Hurricane Michael made landfall in 2018. The test images were acquired between August 26 and September 1, 2021, as reported earlier. ### Olabarrieta #### January 11, 2022 **[Task 4 – Olabarrieta](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/task-4-olabarrieta)** Project Summary ### Thomson #### January 5, 2022 **[Task 3A – Thomson](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/task-3a-thomson)** UW APL has been testing microSWIFT buoy deployments from NOAA aircraft. ### Gesch #### December 23, 2021 **[Task 1 – P.I. Gesch](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/task-1-p-i-gesch)** Coastal Elevation Models and Land Surface Variables for Use in Forecasting Hurricane Impacts ### Romeiser #### November 17, 2021 **[Coastline Extraction From SAR Images](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/coastline-extraction-from-sar-images)** In today's PI meeting, both remote sensing groups reported on first findings regarding the radargrammetric processing of pairs of test images acquired in the landfall area of Hurricane Michael (2018). ### Romeiser #### September 22, 2021 **[Mapping of Hurricane Ida Damages](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/mapping-of-hurricane-ida-damages)** In today's PI meeting, the UMass group presented example images of regions affected by the recent landfall of Hurricane Ida near New Orleans. ### Romeiser #### September 8, 2021 **[SAR Images for Radargrammetry Tests](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/sar-images-for-radargrammetry-tests)** The two SAR remote sensing groups at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) and the University of Miami (UMiami) reported in today’s PI meeting that their industry partners, Capella Space and Airbus Defence and Space, have acquired several SAR images that will be used for algorithm development and testing. ### Romeiser #### July 28, 2021 **[Hurricane Michael (2018) Imaged by Sentinel-1 SAR](https://nopphurricane.sofarocean.com/updates/hurricane-michael-2018-imaged-by-sentinel-1-sar)** The European satellites Sentinel-1A and -1B acquire synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of coastal regions of the U.S. on a regular basis, and they can be programmed to acquire additional images at times of hurricanes and similar events of interest. The European Space Agency makes all Sentinel-1 imagery available to interested users in near real time, free of charge. Together with the radar intensity images, derived wind fields are provided.