NASA | In Katrina's Wake

Hurricane Katrina took the world by storm when it ravaged Louisiana and surrounding states in late August of 2005. Katrina's effects were far reaching, and researchers continue to uncover new areas of devastation left in her wake. Using data from NASA's Landsat and Terra satellites, along with ecological field investigations and statistical analyses, a group of researchers has quantified losses to Gulf Coast forests inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. The results, published in the 2007 November 16th issue of Science, estimate that Katrina killed or damaged 320 million large trees and affected more than 5 millions acres of forest. In this climate of warming temperatures and frequent, intensified storms, some scientists debate whether this is just the first taste of what's to come. For more information: