Hurricanes fertilize mangrove forests, shape coastal landscape of the Florida Everglades
(WorldNews Environment)

The destructive power of a hurricane appears to do plenty of good for mangroves in the Florida Everglades. When Category 3 Hurricanes Wilma (2005) and Irma (2017) struck Florida, mangroves took a beating, particularly in the west coast. Trees lost their canopies. Taller ones snapped and several were uprooted. Seedlings were scattered to the winds. Storm surge partially submerged trees on the front line. Then the storm surges deposited gray, phosphorus-rich mineral sediment from the ocean floor on top of mangrove soils. That sediment increased phosphorus concentrations in the soil, fueling mangrove regeneration and recovery, according to a new study conducted by...