Coastal Impact and Shoreline Recovery from Hurricane Irma (2017) on Barbuda Island, Caribbean

Abstract Hurricane Irma was a rare, Category 5 hurricane that occurred September 2017 and was considered the third-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded at landfall in the Caribbean. Irma made landfall in Barbuda early on September 6 th with observed wind gusts reaching 260 kmh −1 (160 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 916.1 mbar (27.05 in Hg). Lasting 75 h as a Category 5 hurricane, it sustained wind speeds of 260 Kmh −1 (160 mph) for 37 consecutive hours. Irma resulted in widespread destruction and environmental impacts on the eastern Caribbean, particularly in Barbuda and Antigua. Here, we assess morphological changes across-shore and offshore of Barbuda island using pre-and post-event airborne (terrestrial) LiDAR topography, and satellite-derived bathymetry. To understand nearshore changes pre-hurricane bathymetry was used to simulate Hurricane-modelled waves (using SWAN) across the nearshore, making use of in situ and far-field measurements of initial wave conditions. Results show significant bathymetric changes throughout the nearshore (and offshore) zone, with dramatic erosion and accumulation patterns not previously observed to such levels and a dramatic flattening of terrestrial dune ridge (and vegetation).