Environmental Impacts
of Hurricanes
of Hurricanes
Environmental Impacts of Hurricanes |
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Humans and the environment are very interconnected. We need to understand environmental impacts of hurricanes to be able to sustain and repair the ecosystem and to effectively care for plants, animals and humans. Ultimately, environmental impacts of hurricanes will also impact humans and human health on some level. Environmental impacts of hurricanes first include damage to the coast and inland areas from hurricane storm surge, excessive flooding and high winds. |
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| Atchfalaya Delta (photo by K. Streva) | |
| Damage can be in the form of erosion of wetlands and barrier islands/landloss, the generation of large amounts of debris, defoliation, and other destructive changes to the landscape, including the destruction of wildlife habitats in dunes, sands, reefs, estuaries and coastal marsh (East 1995, USGS). Environmental impacts from hurricanes become more complicated when discussing the coastal zones and estuaries, since conditions vary by individual water bodies, as well as by the severity of area flood conditions. |
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| Reefs can be damaged by hurricane forces which destroy wildlife habitat. | |
Hurricanes and major floods can cause significant changes to aquatic ecosystems, inducing "both short- and longer-term biogeochemical and ecological changes" across the larger coastal ecosystem (Paerl et al 2001). As mentioned above, hurricanes can have positive impacts for the environment, such as increasing the turbidity of waters and dissolved oxygen content to support fish and other aquatic lifeforms, helping to break up hypoxic areas. Extreme hurricane winds can also stir up nutrients from the sea bed, replenishing the food supply. Scientists have observed phytoplankton blooms following hurricanes which can sustain life. Finally, hurricanes may serve as a cooling climate force, leaving cooler waters in their wake (NSF/Purdue 2007). |
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Hurricanes can cause major damage to industrial plants and infrastructure along the coast including pipelines; chemical, petroleum, and agrochemical facilities; wastewater and sewage facilities; landfills; agriculture, farms and livestock. Oil tankers, damaged from hurricane forces, can leak oil into rivers and neighborhoods. As an example, over 25,000 barrels of oil were released from an above ground storage tank following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (EPA 2006). The contents of thousands of flooded homes, sewage and contents of pipelines often spill out and contaminate the surrounding water following hurricanes. Contamination may be in the form of air releases, household hazadous waste, water/groundwater contamination, and the release of biological or disease-causing agents. Some post-flood conditions allow for the growth of toxic mold in buildings (CDC 2006), and the harboring of dislocated wildlife populations which can become household pests and transmit disease to humans. |
| Oil slicks (dark black in the above image) following Hurricane Katrina (graphic: LSU Earth Scan lab) | |
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Top left : Polluted discharge being pumped into area waters after hurricane Katrina in New Orleans (AP Photo). Hurricanes can cause damage to tank farms contaminating the environment. Above: Damage from Hurricane Floyd (1999) and Below, left: Hurricane Hugo (1989) Learn more: Environmental Impacts of Hurricane Katrina--- (IOM) ---(About.com) --- (NOAA) --- (USGS) --- Environmental Imapcts of Hurricane Mitch |
LSU Hurricane Public Health Center ~ Suite 3221 Patrick F. Taylor Hall ~ Louisiana State University |
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