Hurricane season 2004 and beach erosion in Volusia County, Florida

This paper studies beach erosion as a result of 2004 hurricane season in Volusia County, Florida. Four hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne of category 2, 3, and 4 affected both coastlines of Florida during the year 2004. Multi-date Landsat TM data sets were used to analyze the changes in beach erosion from 1999 and 2004 along the coastline. The intent of this study is to quantify the amount of beach erosion and its impact on the economy of Volusia County. The beach in Volusia County is the prime tourist attraction generating in an excess of $3.3 billion in revenue per year. Not only is the beach vital for tourism but it also provides a nesting ground for sea turtles.