Hurricanes lay waste to mangroves, but they also help them flourish
The same hurricanes that batter mangroves also help these forests withstand sea level rise and deliver nutrients that allow the trees to bounce back after the storm. (Edward Castañeda-Moya/)On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in southwestern Florida as a category 3 storm with 115 mile-per-hour winds that swept up the coast. Along the way, it plowed through the mangrove forests in Everglades National Park, stripping leaves free and uprooting or snapping entire trees into pieces. But this natural disaster also brought a literal silver lining: a blanket of fine, gray soil rich in nutrients swept in by the storm surge.This sediment layer seems to have benefitted the mangroves by fertilizing their roots and helping to build up soil elevation, scientists reported February 18 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The findings suggest that the same hurricanes that batter mangroves also help these forests withstand sea...