Hurricane Aftermath Reveals Unexpected Boost to Ocean Life—and New Risks

donniegeront · 2025-06-08T00:59:19Z

In a surprising twist of nature, a Category 4 hurricane that disrupted a marine expedition off the coast of Mexico ended up providing researchers with a rare scientific opportunity. With strategic planning and some fortunate timing, the team managed to sample ocean waters just after the storm passed—offering a rare glimpse into how hurricanes affect marine ecosystems.

The researchers discovered that hurricanes can churn ocean waters so intensely—reaching depths of thousands of meters—that cold, nutrient-rich water is forced to the surface. This sudden upwelling triggers massive phytoplankton blooms, which can be seen from space in satellite images. These blooms fuel a cascade of life, feeding bacteria, zooplankton, small fish, and filter feeders like shellfish and baleen whales.

“You could actually see and smell the difference,” said Professor Michael Beman, a marine biologist who studies microbial ecology and ocean biogeochemistry. “The ocean turned green with chlorophyll, and entirely different organisms were present, reacting intensely to the nutrient surge.”

However, the same mixing that benefits surface life can also bring hidden dangers. Deep, low-oxygen zones—called oxygen minimum zones (OMZs)—can be pushed closer to the surface, endangering marine species that rely on higher oxygen levels. OMZs are natural, persistent layers in the ocean where oxygen is depleted by a combination of biological, chemical, and physical processes. Unlike pollution-driven dead zones, OMZs occur without human interference, yet they pose significant risks to marine ecosystems. Climate change and warming oceans are contributing to their expansion.

In 2018, Beman’s team joined researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and other partners on a research voyage from Mazatlán, Mexico, to San Diego. Their goal was to study OMZs in the Eastern Pacific. As Hurricane Bud, the season’s second named storm, approached their intended study area, the team monitored the weather carefully and devised multiple contingency plans.

“We had plans A, B, C, and D,” Beman said. “The forecasts were very accurate, and we knew the storm was intensifying quickly.”

Rather than retreating to port, the researchers maneuvered between islands and research sites to stay safe while staying close to their objectives. After the storm passed, they unexpectedly added a new sampling site—right near where the hurricane had been strongest.

“It took some planning and a bit of luck,” Beman said. “But we ended up collecting samples just a few kilometers from the eye of the storm at its peak intensity.”

Samples collected in such close proximity to a powerful hurricane are exceedingly rare. The data revealed significant changes in oxygen levels, underscoring how dramatically hurricanes can alter ocean chemistry.

While storms like Hurricane Bud are destructive on land, their aftermath can spark bursts of ocean productivity—and simultaneously expose vulnerabilities in marine ecosystems. For researchers like Beman, these moments offer both scientific breakthroughs and urgent questions about how climate change may be reshaping life beneath the waves.

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Hurricane Aftermath Reveals Unexpected Boost to Ocean Life—and New Risks

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donniegeront 0

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