What does marine life do during a hurricane?

What happens to marine life during a hurricane?

Hurricane Helene left parts of the U.S. South devastated, causing record-high flooding and property destruction. With the one-two punch of Hurricane Milton hitting Florida, many residents evacuated the region. However, while humans can move to higher ground, marine life is stuck in the churning ocean.

Hurricanes can be incredibly damaging to aquatic ecosystems.

• As a storm “grows larger and more potent, it can generate waves as high as 18.3 meters (60 feet), tossing and mixing warmer surface waters with the colder, saltier water below,” said the National Ocean Service. “The resulting currents can extend as far as 91.5 meters (300 feet) below the surface, wreaking deadly havoc on marine life.”
• Slow-moving fish and aquatic animals are the most at risk because of their inability to escape the deadly surges.

Damage can be both directly from the storm and in the aftermath.

• “Animals that are fixed to the ocean floor, like anemones and sponges, can die by being smothered in sand or hit by tumbling rocks. It’s not fun for free-swimming animals, either, who can get caught up in undercurrents and tossed into rocks and other structures,” said the Ocean Conservancy.
• The large waves bring up colder waters from the deep— this water has less dissolved oxygen than surface water, causing animals to suffocate and die.

What protections does aquatic life have?

While some of the effects can be dire, the ocean does have some defense mechanisms in place.

Coral reefs are one of those defenses.

• The reefs “function together as natural seawalls,” said Vox, and therefore “help dampen waves and reduce flooding.”
• Some coral reefs rely on waves to break them up and distribute them to new parts of the ocean. Hurricanes can also bring in cooler water and help offset some of the effects of coral bleaching.
• However, waves that are too strong could cause damage to reefs.

Many marine mammals and fish can sense a brewing storm and move to deeper waters.

• Lower barometric pressure, temperature changes in the water, and similar cues alert fish that a storm is imminent.
• For example, a 2019 paper published in the journal Scientific Reports found high immigration rates from gray triggerfish during storms compared to when there were none.
• Tropical storms are a driving force behind the structure of marine ecosystems, in part by influencing movements of mobile animals.

Overall, hurricanes are natural disasters, meaning ecosystems are prepared to handle them. Fish populations tend to bounce back shortly after storms. The problem is that the ecosystems need time to recover. Climate change is increasing ocean temperatures making storms more probable as well as stronger, which may be more than aquatic life can take.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.
   • Indicator 14.2.1: Proportion of national exclusive economic zones managed using ecosystem-based approaches.
   • Indicator 14.2.2: Progress by countries in the degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

2. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
   • Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
   • Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

Analysis

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to SDG 14: Life Below Water and SDG 13: Climate Action.

SDG 14: Life Below Water

The article discusses the impact of hurricanes on marine life, including the destruction of aquatic ecosystems and the risk to marine animals. This aligns with SDG 14, which aims to sustainably manage and protect marine ecosystems. The targets under this SDG that can be identified based on the article’s content are:

• Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.

The article mentions the damage caused by hurricanes to marine life, including the smothering of animals and the depletion of oxygen in the water. These can be considered indicators of progress towards Target 14.2.1: Proportion of national exclusive economic zones managed using ecosystem-based approaches and Indicator 14.2.2: Progress by countries in the degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

SDG 13: Climate Action

The article discusses the role of hurricanes in the context of climate change and the increasing ocean temperatures. This aligns with SDG 13, which aims to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The target under this SDG that can be identified based on the article’s content is:

• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

The article mentions the impact of hurricanes on marine ecosystems and the need for them to recover. This can be considered an indicator of progress towards Target 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population and Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: theweek.com