Your first reaction to hurricanes potentially being a positive for anything is likely a, yeah right type of thought. And it’s understandable. They’re destructive, life-threatening and all-around stressful to deal with. But then again, they’re natural. There’s a funny thing about nature, even when it comes to destruction, it tends to know what’s best for itself. Just as forest fires naturally replenish forests by clearing dead trees and brush, replacing them with nutrients in the soil, it turns out hurricanes are a different version of a similar thing.
In a study of the impact of hurricanes in the Everglades funded by the National Science Foundation, conducted by FIU, LSU and William & Mary, one of the biggest takeaways was one that might make you do a double-take. Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Irma in 2017 were good for South Florida’s environment. Specifically, the Everglades. In the study, the hurricanes were found to have replenished minerals into the soil in the glades while raising soil levels around mangroves. The combination of those two allowed for quick regeneration from any damage done by the storms while providing a healthier and more fertile environment to foster further growth. In turn, life around the flourishing mangroves also improved. This included an increase in crab, fish and shrimp populations which use the mangroves as nurseries.
Furthermore, researchers found minerals from the ocean floor moved inland by up to six miles providing hundreds of miles of net new growth across South Florida. The benefit wasn’t just for nature and its creatures either. As the mangrove forests flourish, they absorb more of the wind and storm surge from future storms/hurricanes combating beach erosion and mitigating wind risk for homes near the coasts. Additionally, the carbon absorption rate of the mangroves is significant. The study which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is the latest reminder that nature tends to know best how to manage nature. It’s something to be mindful of as environmentalists in California have made the fire risk worse by preventing the natural culling of dead trees and vegetation and in South Florida our Everglades Restoration project continues to attempt to recreate some of South Florida’s natural environment after 90 years of failed human manipulation of it.
Photo by: NOAA via Getty Images