New research reveals how hurricanes shape the coastal landscape in the Everglades
Thursday, February 20, 2020 - 10:40
in Earth & Climate
That hurricanes can create sudden and dramatic changes to the landscape is obvious to anyone who lives along the Gulf of Mexico's coast. They are powerful, high-energy destructive forces that can flood homes and fell trees, and can leave a lasting impression on all those affected by them; however, the mark hurricanes leave on unpopulated areas, such as Florida's Everglades National Park, have been less known until now. In a recent paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS, researchers from different universities, including LSU, examined how Hurricanes Wilma in 2015 and Irma in 2017 fertilized the Florida Coastal Everglades, paradoxically facilitating mangrove wetlands recovery.