ANNOUNCEMENT: Our annual podcast survey is live!

Please share your thoughts and how the survey has inspired change with us, here: https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bEf5YoxkFv87GIu

***

On today’s episode, we will do a deep dive into the topic ofstorm surge. What is storm surge? What are the impacts of storm surge to us and our natural systems? We will also help you understand the risk of stormsurge where you live.

Episode script reviewed by Lauren Wolf, Holly Abeels, andArmando Ubeda.

Episode recording reviewed by Stephen Mullens.

Learn more:

• National Weather Service – Storm Surge Overview &Hurricane Hazards https://www.weather.gov/phi/stormsurge& https://www.weather.gov/wrn/hurricane-hazards
• National Ocean Service – What is storm surge? https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/stormsurge-stormtide.html
• National Hurricane Center and Central PacificHurricane Center – Storm Surge Overview - https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/surge/

How you can help:

• Learn your evacuation zone – https://www.floridadisaster.org/knowyourzone/Remember, evacuation zones are based on storm surge risk for low-lying, floodprone areas, mobile homes or unsafe structures.
• Consider planting more salt-tolerant plants inyour landscape - https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/resources/apps/plant-guide/
• Support nature-based solutions such as dunerestoration, mangrove plantings, and living shorelines.

Sources for this Episode:

• https://coast.noaa.gov/states/fast-facts/economics-and-demographics.html

• https://www.usgs.gov/centers/spcmsc/science/florida-coastal-mapping-program
• https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2023/06/15/sand-dunes/
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/26296452?mag=the-shifting-sands-of-hurricane-resilience&seq=1
• https://www.usgs.gov/centers/spcmsc/science/storm-induced-coastal-change
• https://daily.jstor.org/the-shifting-sands-of-hurricane-resilience/

This episode is part 1 of our summer hurricane series! Today, we're talking about how hurricanes form, why they spin, and what the "categories" mean when we talk about storms.

Also, we would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Stephen Mullens, a fellow faculty member at the University of Florida, for reviewing our episode content for accuracy. Stephan is an expert in forecasting and impacts related to hurricanes and thunderstorms.

Learn More:

• ​Coriolis Effect Video (Nat Geo): https://youtu.be/mPsLanVS1Q8?si=yokr3w1vUeVg6l9T
• ​Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: Learn more about what each "category" storm means. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/sshws_2012rev.pdf
• ​Make a plan! Get ready, now: https://www.floridadisaster.org/planprepare/preparing-for-hurricane-season/

Sources:

• ​https://climatecenter.fsu.edu/topics/hurricanes
• ​https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/How-Do-Hurricanes-Move_.pdf
• ​https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/sshws_2012rev.pdf
• ​https://www.npr.org/2018/09/14/647944033/september-is-peak-hurricane-season-why-is-that
• ​https://weather.gov/media/mfl/TropicalEventSummary/PSHMFL_2024AL14_Milton_Tornadoes.pdf
• ​https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092024_Helene.pdf

Green anoles are some of Florida’s most familiar—and most overlooked—neighbors.

In this episode of Naturally Florida, we revisit our very first show from 2020 to explore what makes these little lizards so unique, how they interact with the introduced Cuban brown anole, and what you can do to help them thrive in your own backyard.

Learn more:

• Cuban Brown Anole or Green Anole (video): https://youtu.be/KQhnzi9mkYI
• Landscaping Solutions: Green Anoles: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/design/gardening-with-wildlife/anoles.html

How You Can Help:

• Help us document their populations! If you see a green anole in your yard or while out in one of Florida's many natural areas, snap a picture with your smartphone and upload it to ⁠iNaturalist.org.⁠
• Add habitat to your yard or neighborhood. Consider adding native shrubs or small trees and changing part of your yard from lawn to Florida-Friendly Landscaping to provide habitat for a variety of small critters. Learn more here: ⁠https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/about-ffl/9-principles/principle-5-attract-wildlife/⁠

Sources for this Episode:

• Invader Updater: Cuban Brown Anole, UF Wildlife Department (2011) ⁠⁠https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/InvaderUpdater/pdfs/InvaderUpdater_Winter2011.pdf⁠⁠
• Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis), Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (n.d.) ⁠⁠https://srelherp.uga.edu/lizards/anocar.htm⁠⁠
• Analysis of the effects of an exotic lizard on a native lizard in Florida ..., University of Tennessee (2000) ⁠⁠https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4722/⁠⁠
• Florida Lizards are Evolving, Fast, Science Connected (2014) ⁠⁠https://magazine.scienceconnected.org/2014/10/florida-lizards-evolving-rapidly/⁠⁠

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

If you're active on iNaturalist, consider joining our iNaturalist project, Naturally Florida's Listener Observations, here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/naturally-florida-s-listener-observations