Interestingly, hurricanes may also provide ecological benefits to tropical and sub-tropical environments. Rainfall gives a boost to wetlands and flushes out lagoons, removing waste and weeds. Hurricane winds and waves move sediment from bays into marsh areas, revitalizing nutrient supplies. Fragile coral reefs can also receive benefit from hurricanes during the warm summer months, as the storms’ upwelling of cooler waters help to alleviate thermal stress. In addition, waves and tidal water movements scour some areas, removing macroalgae and exposing the solid limestone structure of the reef, which provides a firm foundation on which corals can settle and grow.
Hurricanes appear to have only short-term or minor impacts on reef fishes, though different species can be affected in different ways. At least some species redistribute themselves, moving from shallow to deep water or from damaged to unaffected areas of the reef. Predation probably increases at least temporarily after the storm, as many cryptic fish species are found out in the open.