Though the 2025 hurricane season was relatively quiet for the United States, researchers are combining massive amounts of observational data with wildly complex computer models to predict the impact of future storms on coastal communities.
The University of Florida’s Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment, or ESSIE, is part of a project that recently received the Excellence in Partnering Award by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program for its collaborative, multi-institutional effortaimed at improving prediction of coastal storm impacts. ESSIE’s team focused on creating models to predict such complex storm effects as breaching, erosion, water levels and property damage.
Researchers hope the project will improve the accuracy of the models and enable residents and emergency managers to target specific risks and make storm preparations more effective and timelier.