Hurricanes lead to flooding and toppled trees on land, but their impact on the oceans is less well understood. The Oceanic Flux Program (OFP) by the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, aims to fill the gaps.
The OFP is based in the Sargasso Sea, on a floating platform moored 47 miles (75km) off Bermuda. Sediment traps at different depths collect fragments of microplankton shells and other detritus as it drifts down towards the deep ocean.
A study of OFP data has revealed how hurricanes affect the process of sediment deposition, creating underwater waves that sweep material from the reefs in shallow water into the deep. The research found that Hurricane Fabian delivered a whole years’ worth of material in just two weeks in 2003. Read the rest of the story here.
Source: Weatherwatch: how hurricanes impact the deep ocean | The Guardian
