Most hurricanes remain at sea; only one third of all hurricanes reach land, causing damage to coastal habitats and human environments. A hurricane is formed when warm ocean air meets wind patterns that draw the air inward. As the storm intensifies, convection creates a low-pressure area in the center of the storm's vortex. Fueled by high winds, this low pressure creates a bulge-like surge in the local sea level, which pushes salt water into freshwater environments and destroys coastal habitats where numerous coastal fish live and breed.
Storm surges create dramatic rises in water levels. The sudden surge of sea water into coastal areas can destroy trees and seagrasses, and smother coastal plants, corals and other marine life with silt and debris. Areas used by coast-dwelling fish for spawning and feeding can be crushed, eroded or buried in sand. Storm surges can unbalance entire marine ecosystems. Insects, small shellfish and other creatures on which fish feed are drowned in silt and other materials from coastal construction.
Since hurricanes form at sea, a storm surge carries saltwater from the ocean into coastal freshwater habitats. This sudden influx of saltwater can poison vulnerable fish in freshwater channels near the coastline, as well as the smaller marine creatures fish eat. Attracted by this temporary surge of salt water, saltwater fish can also enter coastal environments and destabilize existing ecosystems. This reduces the amount of food available to local residents, and destabilizes the marine environment with new patterns of predation.
Storm surges can also destabilize the temperature in coastal areas, sending warmer waters into cooler freshwater channels. This sudden increase in water temperature can kill sensitive fish as well as the plankton and other creatures on which they rely for food. Decomposing fish and other marine life killed by the storm surge create bacteria and reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, creating a cycle of disease and stress for coastal fish.