Auburn University > COSAM > Previous Page > Current Page

Marzen Assessing Ecosystem Recovery in Mississippi

Hurricane Katrina was classified as a Category 3 storm when it reached the mainland along the Louisiana/Mississippi border around on August 29, 2005. Tropical cyclone-fueled winds flowed inland with peak gusts exceeding 140 mph. The eye of the hurricane made landfall along the Louisiana/Mississippi border. The strong winds and accompanying storm surge led to a widespread natural disturbance. Located to the east of the eye of the hurricane, the Mississippi coast received the most intense winds and a storm surge that in preliminary studies was estimated to have risen to more than 25 feet in places.

Associate professor of geography Luke Marzen is using satellite imagery to study how landscapes change following natural disturbances like Hurricane Katrina. “Landsat imagery have been collected for the earth nearly twice per month since the early 1970s, so this has provided a detailed history of how land use is changing,” Marzen explained. “I started by looking at the effects of volcanic eruptions on ecosystems and how ecosystems recover. I am now transferring these skills to other disturbances such as hurricanes and how these storms affect ecosystems.”

Last fall, Marzen presented a paper at the Applied Geography Conference titled “A Remote Sensing Assessment of Mississippi Coastal Change after Hurricane Katrina.” His research is focused on using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems to examine land use changes and the impacts that these changes have on the environment. “I am continuing to monitor changes down in Mississippi and will continue to look at the damage hurricanes do in particular to forests,” he said.

Marzen’s research has shown that satellite imagery can provide reliable assessment of timber damage in areas that are not accessible shortly after the storm. He said that it is important to identify which areas had the most damage to the forests in order to plan for salvage efforts, and to diminish the spread of invasive species, as well as to stop the spread of disease. “The work provides a baseline that can be used to see how the ecosystem in Mississippi recovers over time,” he explained.

Marzen’s work is funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through an organization called AmericaView, a nationwide consortium promoting research, outreach, and education of remote sensing. Marzen, along with the department of physics’ J.M. Wersinger, is co-director of AlabamaView, the consortium for the state of Alabama.

Landsat TM images of Mississippi coastal counties of Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson in October 2004 (left) and October 2005 (right). The images are false color composites with healthy vegetation displayed in red tones, and areas devoid of vegetation in blue-green. Comparing the two images shows that the area around Bay St. Louis possesses the greatest amount of forest damage.

Damaged forest north of Bay St. Louis (left).  Damaged timberland north of Bay St. Louis (right).