Research Publications: UM-SG-RS-2005-20

Title:

Chesapeake Bay plankton and fish abundance enhanced by Hurricane Isabel.

Year:

2005

Authors:

Roman, MR; Adolf, JE; Bichy, J; Boicourt, WC; Harding, LW; Houde ED, Jung, S; Kimmel, G; Miller, WD; Zhang, X

DOI:

10.1029/2005EO280001

Abstract:

Hurricane Isabel made landfall east of Cape Lookout, North Carolina, as a Category 2 (Safford-Simpson scale) hurricane on 18 September 2003. The storm's center tracked to the northwest, passing west of Chesapeake Bay (Figure 1) in the early morning of 19 September. Hurricane Isabel brought the highest storm surge and winds to the region since the Chesapeake-Potomac hurricane of 1933 and Hurricane Hazel in 1954 (http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/akq/wx_events/hur/isabel_2003.htm). Storm surge was variable in the region, reaching a high of 2.7 m on the western side of the bay where the heaviest rainfall occurred. The highest sustained wind in the bay region reached 30.8 m s−1 at Gloucester Point,Virginia, with gusts to 40.7 m s−1.

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Maryland Sea Grant Topic(s):