Fresh water shortage to meet human and ecosystem needs is recognized globally (Gosling & Arnell, 2016;Vörösmarty et al., 2000). Water stress is already common in the dry western United States (U.S.; Milly & Dunne, 2020). With rapid population growth and climate change, water stress is predicted to increase even in the water-rich southeastern U.S (Brown et al., 2019;G. Sun et al., 2008). Annual total water withdrawal in the U.S. increased from about 300 billion m 3 in 1950 to 580 billion m 3 in 2010 (Dieter & Maupin, 2017), coinciding with a doubling of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Even though total water consumption per capita has decreased since 1980 in the conterminous United States (CONUS; Dieter & Maupin, 2017), water demand is projected to grow with population, and water withdrawals are projected to increase (Brown et al., 2013) except in areas where water supply is already overallocated. Exurban growth, as the most persistent and permanent land use change, increased considerably over the past four decades (
Hurricanes are one of the most significant threats to coastal plain forest ecosystems and urban communities of the southeastern U.S., but their implications for watershed hydrology are unclear. Hurricanes have the potential to alter water balances, causing extensive flooding, biogeochemical cycle disruption, and water quality degradation, saltwater intrusion, and increased nutrient sedimentation export in coastal watersheds. This case study focused on Hurricane Michael, a recent catastrophic event that impacted the Gulf coast, the Florida panhandle, southwestern Georgia, and southeastern Alabama. Through empirical (Double Mass Curve) and process-based ecohydrological modeling (WaSSI model) on long-term streamflow data, we explored whether vegetation damage caused by this hurricane resulted in an increase in streamflow two years after the extreme event. We found that monthly streamflow from the Chipola River watershed with an area of 2023 km2 did not change (<6%) appreciably during the first two years following the storm, arguably because only a fraction of the gauged watershed lost substantial tree cover. However, spatially explicit hydrological modeling suggested that several sub-watersheds with the highest decreases in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) significantly increased their monthly streamflow in 2019 by up to 22%. These modeled streamflow anomalies subsided by the second growing season when vegetation recovered. Overall, this study suggests that changes in vegetation cover after Hurricane Michael did not have lasting impacts on the hydrology of this watershed, and the hydrology of coastal watersheds may be more resilient to hurricane disturbances than previously thought.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.