applied sciences Article Tropical Cyclone Landfall Frequency and Large-Scale Environmental Impacts along Karstic Coastal Regions (Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico) Victor H. Rivera-Monroy 1,* , Luis M. Farfán 2 , Luis Brito-Castillo 3 , Jorge Cortés-Ramos 4 , Eduardo González-Rodríguez 2 , Eurico J. D’Sa 1 and Jorge I. Euan-Avila 5 1 Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, College of the Coast and Environment, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
[email protected] 2 Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), La Paz, Baja California Sur 23050, Mexico;
[email protected] (L.M.F.);
[email protected] (E.G.-R.) 3 Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Guaymas, Sonora 85454, Mexico;
[email protected] 4 CONACYT-Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), La Paz, Baja California Sur 23050, Mexico;
[email protected] 5 Departamento de Recursos del Mar, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional-CINVESTAV-IPN Unidad Mérida, Antigua carretera a Progreso, C.P, Mérida, Yucatán 97205, Mexico;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-225-578-2745 Received: 3 July 2020; Accepted: 19 August 2020; Published: 22 August 2020 Abstract: Tropical cyclones (TCs) are natural systems that develop over ocean basins and are key components of the atmospheric activity during the warm season. However, there are still knowledge gaps about the combined positive and negative TC impacts on the structure and function of coastal socio-ecosystems. Using remote sensing tools, we analyzed the frequency, trajectory, and intensity of 1894 TCs from 1851–2019 to identify vulnerable “hotspots” across the Yucatan Peninsula (YP), Mexico.