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TO Maps-L
RE MAPS-L: UNT geographer studies Hurricane Rita's storm surge
FR Angie
DA Thursday, December 1, 2005

Perhaps some nice data or maps will be a result of Williams' research ...


UNT geographer studies Hurricane Rita's storm surge
By UNT
Dec 1, 2005
http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_30307.shtml

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Harry Williams, University of North Texas associate geography professor, received a two-year National Science Foundation grant of nearly $20,000 to study Hurricane Rita storm surge deposits in Louisiana.

The aim of the research is to determine how much storm surge deposits contribute to long-term sedimentation -- buildup of deposits -- in Louisiana coastal marshlands. Another research goal is to determine if storm surge deposits can be distinguished from tsunami deposits.

Research results will be shared with scientists, policy-makers and the public-at-large to increase understanding of hurricanes' impact on land and people.

"Hurricane-derived storm surge deposits may be an important, but poorly understood, mechanism of coastal marsh growth," Williams said. "Data from this study will improve our understanding of these storm surges and our understanding of mechanisms of marsh growth."

Williams plans to apply for a larger NSF grant to investigate the possibility that old hurricane deposits can be found in the subsurface.

He says this type of research could provide a record of hurricane impact going back centuries or millennia. The data could be used to calculate patterns of time in which hurricanes hit different stretches of coastline, he added.

This research may be helpful in determining recurrence intervals of hurricanes on different areas of coastline," Williams said.

Williams, a physical geographer, is an expert in geomorphology -- geography related to the distribution of land and water on the Earth's surface. He is also an expert in small watershed hydrology, cartography and tsunamis.

Williams has a doctorate in geography from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia; a master of science degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia and a bachelor of science degree from the University of Plymouth, England. For more information about Williams' research, contact him by e-mail at [log in to unmask] or by phone (940) 565-3317.

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ANGIE COPE
American Geographical Society Library
UW Milwaukee
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Map Librarian, MAPS-L Moderator
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