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Before and After Photographs by Abby Sallenger/U.S. Geological Survey; Tyrone Turner
Surging seawater driven by Hurricane Ivan sliced a new channel through the coastal barrier island in Pine Beach, Alabama. One house escaped destruction by a matter of feet (image 3 in the sequence above). NASA used lidar imaging (a technology that uses lasers in much the same way radar uses radio waves) to make a topographic map of this stretch of shoreline in 1998 (image 1 in the sequence above). It was created as part of a joint project with NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to gauge the effect of hurricanes on coastline. The red-topped peaks in the image represent the higher elevations of houses. But three days after Ivan (image 2 in the sequence above), a remapping by lidar shows the barrier island has been breached, connecting the Gulf of Mexico (foreground) with the bay behind. Also visible are the many new houses built since the 1998 mapping, an indication of the rapid pace of coastal development in the Southeast.
Camera: Nikon F100 Film Type: Fujichrome Provia 100 Lens: 17-35mm Speed and F-Stop: 1/250 @ f/5.6
Weather Conditions: Clear Time of Day: Late afternoon Lighting Techniques: Available light Special Equipment or Comments: I took this aerial from a helicopter.
