Ongoing Research: Effect of Hurricane Dorian on Bahamas ecosystems

This was the first return trip to The Bahamas for our team members since Hurricane Dorian barreled into the northern Bahamas. From the air the damage to communities such as Marsh Harbour was very clear and heartbreaking. The view from the ground was much worse. The devastation of forests and shorelines was also clear. Thousands of acres of pine woods were nearly leveled by the winds. Even more striking was the regularity of the direction broken and uprooted trees fell. South of Marsh Harbour (essentially were the eye hit) fallen trees were generally blown over by the easterly winds of the southern half of the hurricane. The effect was striking. The extent of this mass mortality event is impressive and I suspect will shape this island’s ecology and economy for decades. I hope other groups are working on the forest dynamics! Anyways, we had a productive trip despite some logistical complications. A followup is in the works while we review and think about the data collected during this first trip.

Caribbean pine forests on Abaco were decimated by Hurricane Dorian. Here, facing south-southwest, the effect of the westerly winds at the southern side of the hurricane are clear. The devastation gradually declines with distance from the eye. This photo was taken from an area of moderate-high impact. Locations closer to Marsh Harbour were more severely impacted.