Wetlands and Hurricanes

This instructional guide is designed to provide instructors with lecture materials and resources that examine the complex relationship between wetlands and hurricanes using Hurricane Katrina as a case study.  Student objectives, a general lecture outline and a more detailed PowerPoint presentation with instructor notes are provided.   This module describes the vulnerability of the Gulf Coast to damage from hurricanes and the role that wetlands and barrier islands play in coastal protection.  

An evaluation of hurricane impacts on the Gulf Coast using “before” and “after” satellite images and aerial photography is included.  Proposals for the restoration of wetlands as a method for increasing protection of the region from future hurricanes are also described.

Instructors who are looking for videos or additional print and web-based resources on the topics covered here should consult the resources list provided at the end of this module where these resources are summarized and cited.

Module Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Describe the vulnerability of the Gulf Coast to damage from hurricanes
• Describe the role of wetlands and barrier islands in storm protection
• Describe the impacts of hurricanes on wetlands and barrier islands
• Describe the benefits and challenges of wetland restoration as a mechanism for providing storm protection

Lecture Outline

Sample PowerPoint Slide with instructor notes

Return to NCSR Wetlands Ecology and Management Description

Download PDF; Download PPT (15.6 MB)

Curriculum produced by NCSR. Funding Provided by the National Science Foundation