By Dr. Jeffrey Schmid, Environmental Research Manager
The 2024 sea turtle nesting season on Keewaydin Island was starting to slow down and the subsequent hatching season was getting geared up, but a mid-season tropical cyclone had other plans for our nesting beaches.
Debby intensified to a tropical storm well offshore southwest Florida on August 3, and to a hurricane later the next day, but the impacts were felt along our coast given the large size of the system. The outer rain bands produced onshore winds gusting to 40-50 mph, which generated a storm surge of 3-4 ft. Coupled with the high tides, the surge overwashed the beaches on Keewaydin, and the island was breached in some of the narrow areas. Much like Hurricane Idalia the year before, the rough surf eroded the lower portion of the beach and the sand was deposited further inland with the storm tides.
Cages are placed on sea turtle nests to protect from predators (raccoons, coyotes, and hogs), and cages close to the water were washed out while those further up the beach were buried under the deposited sand. Sea turtles developing in the buried nest can tolerate brief flooding by seawater but long periods of submergence will drown the nest. The extra sand deposited on the nest can become compacted, making it difficult for the hatchlings to emerge.
Unlike Idalia last year, the impacts from Debby were earlier in the season and many of the turtle nests had yet to hatch. Despite the drastic changes, however, some hatchlings have emerged since the storm and made their way down the beach. Our science staff and interns continue to evaluate the consequences of the storm on the remaining nests on Keewaydin.