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1. After the Perfect Storm

   https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2022.1706963  

   Berry, Brieanne; Isenhour, Cindy; MacRae, Jean; Victor, Erin; Blackmer, Travis; Entwistle, Jared; Silka, Linda; Haedicke, Michael; Lee, Susanne; Saber, Deborah (January 2022, Case Studies in the Environment)

   Recent disruptions in waste management, including the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s decision to limit waste imports from the United States, have shocked materials management systems across the United States. In Maine, these disruptions have been exacerbated by significant disturbances in the state’s waste management infrastructure. These shocks, emerging on multiple scales, combine to strongly impact Maine’s communities. Drawing on interviews with stakeholders involved in waste hauling, processing, outreach and education, as well as state and municipal government. Our paper explores how participants are leveraging these experiences to envision a more resilient materials management system for the state. However, as this case study illustrates, the complexity of materials management systems means that there is no single solution for ongoing, emergent, and unforeseen disruptions. Our research identifies tensions related to how to define system boundaries, the respective roles of the government and markets, issues of scale, and the dual need for both centralized and distributed solutions. Our exploration of materials management disruptions in Maine demonstrates the complexity of building and managing systems that attempt to balance the social, economic and ecological dimensions of materials management systems. 

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2. Storm frequency, magnitude, and cumulative storm beach impact along the US east coast

   https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1145-2024  

   Dominguez, Rachele; Fenster, Michael S; McManus, John W (January 2024, Earth Surface Dynamics)

   Abstract. This study extracted historical water level data from 12 National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration tide gauge stations, spanning the period from the early 20th century to 2022 from central Maine to southern Florida, in order to determine if temporal and spatial trends existed in the frequency and magnitude of storms along the US Atlantic Ocean coast. We used the Storm Erosion Potential Index (SEPI) to identify and quantify storms. We then use the timing and magnitude of those storms to determine the cumulative effect of storm clustering and large-magnitude storms on sandy beaches using the cumulative storm impact index (CSII) empirical model. The results from this study showed (1) no appreciable increase in storm frequency at any of the stations (except for sheltered stations susceptible to storm tide augmentation), (2) statistically significant but modest increases in storm magnitudes over time for 8 of the 12 tidal stations, (3) regional differences in storm magnitudes (SEPI) and cumulative storm impacts (CSII) characteristic of more frequent extratropical storms (temporal clustering) in the north and less frequent tropical storms in the south, and (4) a 4- to 10-year recovery period for regional beach recovery. 

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3. Hurricane Harvey Storm Sedimentation in the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, Texas: Fluvial Versus Storm Surge Deposition

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00639-6  

   Yao, Qiang; Liu, Kam-Biu; Williams, Harry; Joshi, Sanjeev; Bianchette, Thomas A.; Ryu, Junghyung; Dietz, Marianne (October 2019, Estuaries and Coasts)
4. Atmospheric inputs of organic matter to a forested watershed: Variations from storm to storm over the seasons

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.10.002  

   Iavorivska, Lidiia; Boyer, Elizabeth W.; Miller, Matthew P.; Brown, Michael G.; Vasilopoulos, Terrie; Fuentes, Jose D.; Duffy, Christopher J. (December 2016, Atmospheric Environment)
5. Comparing the Biogeochemistry of Storm Surge Sediments and Pre-storm Soils in Coastal Wetlands: Hurricane Irma and the Florida Everglades

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00607-0  

   Breithaupt, Joshua L.; Hurst, Nia; Steinmuller, Havalend E.; Duga, Evan; Smoak, Joseph M.; Kominoski, John S.; Chambers, Lisa G. (January 2019, Estuaries and Coasts)

   Hurricanes can alter the rates and trajectories of biogeochemical cycling in coastal wetlands. Defoliation and vegetation death can lead to increased soil temperatures, and storm surge can variously cause erosion or deposition of sediment leading to changes in soil bulk density, nutrient composition, and redox characteristics. The objective of this study was to compare the biogeochemistry of pre-storm soils and a carbonate-rich sediment layer deposited by Hurricane Irma that made landfall in southwest Florida as a category 3 storm in September 2017. We predicted that indicators of biogeochemical activity (e.g., potential soil respiration rates, microbial biomass (MBC), and extracellular enzyme activities) would be lower in the storm sediment layer because of its lower organic matter content relative to pre-storm soils. There were few differences between the storm sediment and pre-storm soils at two of the sites closest to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). This suggests that marine deposition regularly influences soil formation at these sites and is not something that occurs only during hurricanes. At a third site, 8 km from the GOM, the pre-storm soils had much greater concentrations of organic matter, total N, total P, MBC, and higher potential respiration rates than the storm layer. At this same site, CO2 fluxes from intact soil cores containing a layer of storm sediment were 30% lower than those without it. This suggests that sediment deposition from storm surge has the potential to preserve historically sequestered carbon in coastal soils through reduced respiratory losses. 

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