Hurricane Sandy has brought significant devastation to some East Coasters, but for scientists at Stroud Water Research Center, the University of Delaware, and the University of Exeter, it was another golden opportunity to collect stormwater data that will be pivotal in addressing issues related to climate change.

Storms bring flooding, and flood waters are teeming with activity that, if recorded and analyzed, can reveal much about the carbon they transport, and carbon is key in understanding the global cycling of greenhouse gases, which is the primary goal of the Christina River Basin Critical Zone Observatory (CRB-CZO).

Funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation, the CRB-CZO, one of only six in the United States, is at the forefront of research to determine the role human impact on the hydrological, mineral, and carbon cycles plays in climate change.

The eye of the storm passed over the CRB last Tuesday and Wednesday, and scientists were ready. Last year’s Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee had prompted Center scientist Anthony Aufdenkampe and colleagues to deploy dozens of cell-phone-activated remote-control real-time sensors and pumps throughout the area that automatically sample stormwater.

The water is stored in bottles and barrels, and data are sent back to the science lab over the Internet. “It was a huge effort, and we’ve instrumented up even more since then,” says Aufdenkampe, so when news of the brewing Frankenstorm Sandy hit, the team was well equipped to record whatever flood activity, big or small, resulted. 

In August of last year, Hurricane Irene dumped six inches of rain within eight hours. When Tropical Storm Lee followed less than two weeks later with another six inches of rain over three days with the last two inches occurring in a 45-minute cloud burst, the ground was already saturated, and by studying the heavy flooding, Center scientists discovered something astonishing: A mere 1 percent of all rain that fell on their 100-percent-forested study catchment resulted in stormwater runoff. In contrast, 15 to 30 percent of the rain that fell on agricultural and developed areas washed into nearby streams — and any contaminants from the land with it.

Armed with that kind of information, citizens and policymakers can make the best choices for the land and waterways in their towns and cities.

Unlike last year’s storms, Sandy wasn’t record-breaking in southeastern Pennsylvania.

“It was a different kind of storm. There was less rain — about five inches — it came during a time when the soil was dry, and it fell slowly and evenly with no intense cloud bursts. Of the nine streams we sampled, only the largest two flooded over their banks, and none flooded over roads. The data we’ve collected is still exceptionally valuable as it is only the second time we simultaneously and intensely collected data from so many sites over a single storm. Because of all the preparations we’ve made since last year, adding more sensors and improving our infrastructure, we’ll have a more comprehensive picture of this storm and storms to come,” Aufdenkampe says.

For more information, visit the CRB-CZO webpage.

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11/12/2012