Lately, large storms such as hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons have been wreaking havoc on coastal communities. Two Category 4 storms hit the United States in 2017, and one has made landfall so far in 2018.
These storms move so much sand and sediment around on the seafloor that they often make areas that were previously deep enough for navigation now several meters shallower, requiring new surveys before ships can safely traverse them.
These storms also create special logistical and technical challenges for surveyors. To overcome these challenges and help with disaster recovery, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been mapping coastal zones after hurricanes using airborne bathymetric lidar.