Impacts of Storm Surge U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2013–3092

October 2013

Start with Science to Build Safer Communities

Hurricane Sandy Science Plan—Impacts of Storm Surge, 

Including Disturbed Estuarine and Bay Hydrology

“The understanding we gain from these studies will set the stage for better models addressing 

future hazard scenarios and will help coastal communities be better prepared to withstand and 

respond to catastrophic storms.”—Suzette Kimball, U.S. Geological Survey Acting Director

Meeting the Science Needs of the Nation in the 

Wake of Hurricane Sandy—A U.S. Geological Survey 

Science Plan for Support of Restoration and Recovery

Hurricane Sandy devastated some of the most heavily 

populated eastern coastal areas of the Nation. With a storm 

surge peaking at more than 19 feet, the powerful landscapealtering destruction of Hurricane Sandy is a stark reminder of 

why the Nation must become more resilient to coastal hazards. 

In response to this natural disaster, the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) received a total of $41.2 million in supplemental appropriations from the Department of the Interior (DOI) to support 

response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. These funds support a 

science plan (Buxton and others, 2013) that will provide critical 

scientific information necessary to inform management decisions 

for recovery of coastal communities, and aid in preparation for 

future natural hazards. This science plan is designed to coordinate continuing USGS activities with stakeholders and other 

agencies to improve data collection and analysis that will guide 

recovery and restoration efforts. The science plan is split into 

five distinct themes:

• Coastal topography and bathymetry

• Impacts to coastal beaches and barriers

• Impacts of storm surge, including disturbed estuarine and bay 

hydrology

• Impacts on environmental quality and persisting contaminant 

exposures

• Impacts to coastal ecosystems, habitats, and fish and wildlife

This fact sheet focuses on assessing impacts of storm surge, 

including disturbed estuarine and bay hydrology.

Theme Stakeholders

Storm-tide monitoring data are essential for informing 

Federal and local emergency responders before, during, and 

after natural hazards such as hurricanes. Storm-tide data include 

information such as rises in water levels and changes in water 

quality. It is important for agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (USACE), the National Weather Service (NWS), 

and State and local agencies to receive and collect these realtime data for present and future emergency response situations. 

Quality-assured storm-surge data improve community planning 

essential to rebuilding efforts, as coastal areas can better assess 

flooding risks and mitigation strategies. In addition, these data 

can improve resources for engineers and ocean scientists working to better calibrate storm-surge and water-circulation models.

U.S. Geological 

Survey scientists 

prepare an acoustic 

doppler current 

profiler to measure 

water velocity profiles 

in a new inlet formed 

during Hurricane 

Sandy on Fire Island, 

New York.

U.S. Geological Survey scientist deploys an acoustic doppler current 

profiler to measure water velocity profiles in a new inlet formed during 

Hurricane Sandy on Fire Island, New York.
Storm Surge Impact Projects

The storm surge created by the winds and waves of Hurricane Sandy was the primary driver of coastal community 

destruction and dramatic changes in the coastal and near-coastal 

environment. The energy of the surge caused physical changes of 

the landscape, and the landward extent of the surge transported 

saline waters, sediment, and debris to ecologically sensitive 

environments that are rarely impacted by ocean effects. Upon 

approach to the coast, the combination of the surge’s arrival with 

the tide of a full moon created a storm tide (the combined rise in 

water elevation from both tide and storm surge) that attained a 

peak of more than 19 feet, an elevation not observed in the last 

100 years. Although models predicting the level of the storm tide 

at the coast generally were accurate, predictions of the extent, 

depth, and severity of the storm tide across the land surface 

were not uniform. In several instances, the impacts of the storm 

tide were higher than expected, illustrating the critical need of a 

better understanding of how storm surge and landscape features interact to dissipate or increase storm impacts. The USGS 

intends to provide coastal communities with a better means to 

respond and recover from the next coastal storm by focusing 

efforts on storm-tide data collection, data delivery, data networks, and data analysis.

Storm-Surge Response and Data Collection

The main goal of storm-surge response and data collection is to ensure that coastal regions are prepared for upcoming 

natural hazards by gathering necessary information on storm-tide 

water levels and storm surge that can aid in future emergency 

response situations. The combination of storm-tide, stormsurge, and wave-height water-level data is referred to as stormtide data. To accomplish this, the USGS can improve USGS 

storm-surge response activities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic 

States, and increase the amount of storm-tide data transmitted in 

real time. This information is an important resource for emergency responders by providing a realistic scope of the magnitude 

of the storm. Since the data are delivered in real time and stored 

for future use and analysis, this information will be an important resource before, during, and after future storms in addition 

to supporting current applications such as coastal change and 

storm-surge forecasting models. 

Storm-Surge Data Recovery and Delivery

The USGS can increase the efficiency of data recovery 

and processing by modifying software, procuring rugged dataretrieval hardware, using Real-Time Network Global Positioning 

System (RTN GPS) surveying equipment, and acquiring wireless 

connectivity. Storm-surge data will be linked with GIS tools and 

web display permitting rapid analysis and display of stormsurge data. Making use of this information will allow emergency 

responders, community planners, forecasters, modelers, and the 

public to identify high vulnerability areas in real time and the 

data analysis will contribute to a better understanding of coastal 

science. 

Storm-Tide Monitoring Networks and Data Analysis

This study aims to refurbish and enhance the distribution of 

fixed-place and mobile storm-tide monitoring networks. The data 

gathered by these networks helps to better understand impacts 

of rising water levels caused by coastal storms. In addition to 

water-level and water-quality data, the USGS will gather water 

velocity and directional data to aid in determining the possible 

water-induced effects on land features and built structures. These 

monitoring locations have been requested by State and local 

emergency responders, and USGS hydrologists will take their 

input into account when selecting them. This work will reduce 

uncertainty in forecast modeling by using a combination of longterm tide gages and rapid-deployment sensors in predetermined 

locations to measure the extent and magnitude of storm tides and 

wave heights and possibly aid in future evacuation efforts. In 

addition to being a valuable resource for responders, this information also contributes to scientific understanding and USGS 

studies of bay, estuary, and river channel flows as they relate to 

coastal change and storm impacts.

Storm-Tide Data Analysis and Scientific 

Understanding

Storm-tide data analyses are intended to improve the stormsurge models maintained by other agencies and used to assist 

with response, recovery, and rebuilding of coastal communities 

in relation to natural hazards and contribute to USGS coastal 

storm science understanding efforts. This project will allow 

USGS to collect data on water level, bathymetry, flow direction, 

velocity, and sediment transport in damaged coastal communities. Such information will contribute to model improvement 

and future research as well as restoration plans. In addition, the 

USGS can develop maps of flood levels and storm-surge inundation using these data that show potential risk around important 

infrastructure and evacuation routes.

For more information:

Buxton, H.T., Andersen, M.E., Focazio, M.J., Haines, J.W., 

Hainly, R.A., Hippe, D.J., and Sugarbaker, L.J., 2013, 

Meeting the science needs of the Nation in the wake of 

Hurricane Sandy—A U.S. Geological Survey science 

plan for support of restoration and recovery: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1390, 26 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/

circ/1390/.

• http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hazards-events/sandy/

U.S. Geological 

Survey hydrologic 

technician 

surveying a highwater mark on 

Liberty Island, 

New York, 

following 

Hurricane Sandy.