Hurricane Sandy’s passage up the eastern seaboard in October 2012 generated a storm surge and waves that severely impacted Virginia’s ocean beaches, including those at Sandbridge and Wallops Island.

Now, with the official start of the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season on June 1 reminding the nation of its vulnerability to tropical cyclones, researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science are collaborating with state and federal partners to assess the offshore sand resources that beachfront localities use to both protect against and recover from the impacts of hurricanes and other coastal storms.