Hurricanes shape new natural order - drastic changes to coastal ecosystems

Major storms drastically change Gulf Coast ecosystems


Sculpted by wind and water, a section of the Chandeleur Islands ravaged by Hurricane Katrina is seen from the air, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005, off Bay St. Louis, Miss.


OVER THE NORTHERN GULF COAST - Last year's record hurricane season didn't just change life for humans. It changed nature, too.

Everywhere scientists look, they see disrupted patterns in and along the Gulf of Mexico. Coral reefs, flocks of sea birds, crab- and shrimp-filled meadows and dune-crowned beaches were wrapped up in — and altered by — the force of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Dennis.

"Nothing's been like this," said Abby Sallenger, a U.S. Geological Survey oceanographer, during a recent flight over the northern Gulf Coast to study shoreline changes.

For him, the changes are mind-boggling: Some barrier islands are nearly gone; on others, beaches are scattered like bags of dropped flour.

Hurricanes have been kneading the Gulf Coast like putty for eons, carving out inlets and bays, creating beaches and altering plant and animal life — but up to now, the natural world has largely been able to rebound. Trees, marine life and shoreline features tourists and anglers enjoyed in recent years were largely the same types as those 17th century buccaneers and explorers encountered.

But scientists say the future could be different. Nature might not be able to rebound so quickly. The reason: the human factor.

"Natural systems are resilient and bounce back," said Susan Cutter, a geographer with the University of South Carolina. "The problem is when we try to control nature, rather than letting her do what she does."..cont'd


http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11098461/

that have fouled the entire gulf. You'd think that would at least rate a mention. :mad:

dumped into the Gulf in enormous quantities. The Gulf has been in swift decline due to decades of corporate abuses and a government (local and fed) that looks the other way or rationalizes that the benefits to the local economies or national necessity outweigh the damage done.

A poster here put up a great satire on that commercial.