UH geologists find significant impacts on Texas' coast from Hurricane Beryl

We are just now starting to understand how Hurricane Beryl literally changed the landscape of southeast Texas since it made landfall back in June.

A team from the University of Houston found extensive erosion in multiple areas in a matter of months.

On Oct. 31, the group released a study that shows the impact of the Category 1 hurricane on the Texas coast.

Researchers say Sargent Beach experienced the most significant impact and is now unrecognizable from what it looked like in May.

"The flooding, overwash, and scarping caused by Beryl wiped out nearly all the dunes and left the area virtually inaccessible," Shuhub Khan, a geology professor at the UH College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said.

In the video player above, high-resolution images show what Galveston, Follett Island, Matagorda, and Sargent Beach looked like before and after Beryl made landfall.

Khan said he and his team found that Follett Island was also hit hard.

"Follett had a restored dune system, but most of the sand was scraped away, leaving behind bare hay bales," Khan said.

A previous study by Khan's team on the coastal impacts of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 revealed similar but more significant changes.

"After Harvey, we found an average shoreline retreat of just over 16 meters, with certain areas near the landfall site in Rockport seeing nearly 60 meters of erosion," Khan said. "Those values far exceed the average short- and long-term retreat rates of 1.27 meters per year for the Texas coast."

The geologists say this emphasizes the need for proactive dune management.

In addition to documenting the coastal erosion, the team's research aims to inform future mitigation strategies.

"Our ongoing research demonstrates that restored dunes along the Texas coast are vulnerable to major storms," Khan said. "It emphasizes the need for adaptive, proactive dune management and regular monitoring to assess the durability of these restoration efforts."

As Texas continues to face natural threats, Khan said he hopes the study illuminates the urgent need for innovative solutions to protect vulnerable dunes, wildlife habitats, and coastal communities.

"The data we collect helps us quantify erosion, track recovery progress, and improve predictive models for storm damage," Khan said. "Efforts like the 'Ike Dike' and dune restoration are critical, but our research shows that some areas remain highly susceptible."