Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington are leading an international study of past tropical storms that aims to save resources and reduce displacement by helping communities better prepare for future storms.

Tropical storms such as hurricanes can be terrifying and costly for coastal regions across the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, the university said.

Along with the physical devastation they cause, the storms contribute to significant economic losses and human displacement. In 2023 alone, UTA said, climate migration linked to such events saw 2.5 million individuals attempt to cross the U.S. southern land border.

UTA said a key part of the study is analyzing the types and quantities of storm-related precipitation in affected regions to understand its role in local water resources.

“We already know that tropical storms have a huge impact on water resources in communities, but few studies have examined the water runoff from these events and how they impact local populations—that’s where our research comes in,” Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo, lead author of the study and associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at UTA, said in a statement.

By mitigating excessive damage, such preparation could enable more people to remain in their home countries, UTA said. The university called it an increasingly urgent situation as climate change is expected to make tropical storms 10%-15% more frequent and intense.

Insights from ‘fingerprints’ of storm water

Sánchez-Murillo and his team, in collaboration with international partners from hurricane-prone regions in the Bahamas, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Trinidad and Tobago, analyzed water “fingerprints” known as isotopic compositions.

UTA said that by studying isotopic data from past storms, the researchers provided new insights into how storm-related precipitation influences regional water cycles, adding depth to our understanding of these weather events.

“These results underscore the significance of accounting for storm-related precipitation,” Sánchez-Murillo said. “We feel that understanding precipitation impacts will help communities better prepare for extreme storms and manage local water resources both before and after the storms.”

The team includes researchers from Brown University, Clemson University, Florida International University, Humboldt University, Oberlin College, Rice University, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Houston, the University of Tennessee, and Washington State University.

UTA said the research was funded, in part, from grants from the International Atomic Energy Agency and an Early Career Fellowship from the Gulf Research Program of the National Academics of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

The university said future studies will investigate evaporation and groundwater recharge patterns resulting from tropical storms, as well as how storm paths might shift due to climate change.

With an enrollment of roughly 41,000 students, UT Arlington is the second-largest institution in the UT System. The university’s academics and innovative research contribute to its designation as a Carnegie R-1 “Very High Research Activity” institution, a significant milestone of excellence.

Don’t miss what’s next. Subscribe to Dallas Innovates.

Track Dallas-Fort Worth’s business and innovation landscape with our curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday.