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A Portal to Hurricanes—Past and Future

A Portal to Hurricanes—Past and Future

May 23, 2018

This is a bird’s-eye view of a blue hole in the Bahamas. In the middle of it, WHOI researchers in a pontoon boat prepare to extract cores of sediments that settled to the bottom. Blue holes are naturally occurring deep holes in the seafloor. The dark blue color of the deeper waters in these submerged caverns contrasts dramatically with the sapphire hues of surrounding shallower waters. Blue holes are ideal basins to catch particles swept in by passing hurricanes. Researchers in the WHOI Coastal Systems Group examine the sediments to reveal past patterns of hurricane and ocean temperatures, which can help us predict and prepare for future hurricane activity. (Photo courtesy of Richard Sullivan, Texas A&M University at Galveston)

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