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Hurricanes Help Corals

HURRICANES ARE KNOWN FOR LEAVING DEVASTATION IN THEIR WAKE, BUT THE STORMS MAY NOT BE ALL BAD.  LEARN HOW THEY BENEFIT CORAL REEFS ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

ACCORDING TO DEREK MANZELLO OF THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, HURRICANES DO HAVE AN UP-SIDE: THEY HELP CORAL REEFS RECOVER FROM THERMAL STRESS.

REEF-BUILDING CORALS LIVE VERY NEAR THEIR UPPER TEMPERATURE THRESHOLD, SO WHEN THE SEA GETS EVEN SLIGHTLY WARMER, IT CAN TAKE A HEAVY TOLL.  ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONSEQUENCES IS BLEACHING – A PHENOMENON THAT OCCURS WHEN CORALS LOSE THE BENEFICIAL ALGAE THAT GIVE THEM THEIR COLOR AND ENERGY.

SO HOW DO HURRICANES HELP?  BY COOLING OCEAN WATERS, THEY GIVE BLEACHED CORALS A CHANCE TO RECOVER.

SOME SCIENTISTS EXPECT THAT CLIMATE CHANGE WILL CAUSE MORE FREQUENT HURRICANES AND WARMER OCEANS. SO ALTHOUGH THE STORMS MAY BE DESTRUCTIVE, THEY MIGHT ALSO PROVIDE SOME BUFFER AGAINST HIGHER OCEAN TEMPERATURES.

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM. 

To learn more, read the study in PNAS.