Given the evidence of long-term and short-term damages that hurricanes and other associated disasters can cause, predicting frequency and intensity has become increasingly important. Arial photographing and analyzing sea-surface temperatures is a key part.
Changes in the seafloor, such as doldrums that affect wave formation, is an example of why ocean exploration is important to public safety. Pollution and ecosystem changes is not only another example but all also have drastic effects on fishing and tourism
In the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina, land and sea were both effected. In a response, the U.S. Geological Survey organized the “Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Change and Hazards Susceptibility” project to study the unknown long-term effects.