How do Hurricanes Impact the Ecosystem?
Hurricanes can positively or negatively affect the ecosystem, mainly aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems.
Sediment erosion and deposition often affect oyster beds and coral reefs. The intrusion of saltwater to freshwater lakes and streams causes massive fish kills and the lakeside habitat. Floodwater often retreats into lakes and streams after a hurricane. The floodwater often carry toxic substances such as heavy metals, ammonia, pesticides, untreated sewage and phosphate. These substances cause degradation of water quality and phytoplankton blooms causing a decrease in in dissolved oxygen and results in dead organisms.
Hurricanes wreak havoc on terrestrial ecosystems. They cause sediments to erode and shift. Many barrier islands end up shifted or eroded below sea level. Forests are devastated by wind and force birds to find other places to rest. Saltwater intrusion from storm surge also changes the wetland ecosystems, making them inhabitable for some organisms.
The good news is that ecosystems can be resilient after a hurricane. According to Dr. JoAnn Burkholder of North Caroline State University, the shellfish and finfish populations rebounded with 3 years of hurricanes Fran and Floyd. While hurricanes can have a significant impact on ecosystems, these ecosystems often recover in time.
Sediment erosion and deposition often affect oyster beds and coral reefs. The intrusion of saltwater to freshwater lakes and streams causes massive fish kills and the lakeside habitat. Floodwater often retreats into lakes and streams after a hurricane. The floodwater often carry toxic substances such as heavy metals, ammonia, pesticides, untreated sewage and phosphate. These substances cause degradation of water quality and phytoplankton blooms causing a decrease in in dissolved oxygen and results in dead organisms.
Hurricanes wreak havoc on terrestrial ecosystems. They cause sediments to erode and shift. Many barrier islands end up shifted or eroded below sea level. Forests are devastated by wind and force birds to find other places to rest. Saltwater intrusion from storm surge also changes the wetland ecosystems, making them inhabitable for some organisms.
The good news is that ecosystems can be resilient after a hurricane. According to Dr. JoAnn Burkholder of North Caroline State University, the shellfish and finfish populations rebounded with 3 years of hurricanes Fran and Floyd. While hurricanes can have a significant impact on ecosystems, these ecosystems often recover in time.
Hurricanes in Texas
Thirty-two years ago, Allen was damaging more than $1 billion swath of destruction from the Caribbean, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Yucatan Peninsula, and Texas. It was the first named storm of the 1980 Atlantic season, Allen was the only hurricane to reach U.S. soil that year. The storm tied with Camilla (1969) for the strongest sustained winds at 190 mph, reached category 5 status three times during its trip from the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. When it arrived in South Texas, it had just dropped from category 5 status, but carried a 12-foot storm surge that pounded the beaches at Padre Island.
Hurricane Gilbert incident period was from September 15-17, 1988. The hurricane made its final landfall near the town of La Pesca on the Mexican Gulf Coast on the evening of September 19th as a strong Category 3 hurricane. Gilbert's remnants spawned 29 tornadoes over Texas on September 18th. There was a total of three deaths in Texas caused by the tornadoes.