An introduction to hurricanes in the Caribbean
An introduction to hurricanes in the Caribbean
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DOI：
10.2307/2388246
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发表时间：
1991-12
期刊：
影响因子：
2.1
通讯作者：
L. Walker;D. J. Lodge;N. Brokaw;R. Waide
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
L. Walker;D. J. Lodge;N. Brokaw;R. Waide
本期《生物热带》首次汇集了一系列案例研究，记录了加勒比地区最近三次飓风对自然生态系统的破坏和初步恢复过程。大多数论文论述了飓风雨果(1989)的影响以及飓风过后一年在三个地点的恢复情况：美属维尔京群岛的圣约翰、波多黎各和美国本土的南卡罗来纳州(图1)。飓风雨果引发了飓风研究水平的迅速提高，部分原因是它越过了两个长期生态研究地点(波多黎各的卢基洛实验森林和南卡罗来纳州的北海湾)，这两个地点的生态数据可以比较飓风前和飓风后的情况。这种长期研究的好处包括能够将最近飓风造成的损害与以前的损害区分开来；不依赖于根据历史证据重建损害情景；以及立即开始研究恢复情况。飓风雨果还提供了一个机会来对比飓风在不同环境中的损害：热带和温带、潮湿和干燥、岛屿和大陆。除了对雨果飓风的研究外，我们还研究了吉尔伯特飓风(1988年)对牙买加和墨西哥的影响，以及琼飓风(1988年)对尼加拉瓜的影响(图1)。我们着重研究陆地生态系统；其他地方也研究了飓风对海洋和沿海生态系统的影响(Woodley等人)。1981年，贝尼托·埃斯皮纳和贝尼托·埃斯皮纳1991年，芬克和皮尔基1991年)。飓风是加勒比海地区频繁发生的大规模骚乱。1976年期间，加勒比海(阿拉卡18711964)每年发生0至11次飓风(平均为4.6%，中位数为8次)，从而导致波多黎各岛(1972年萨利维亚)的回归时间为21年。最强的加勒比海飓风通常起源于非洲西海岸，在大西洋上空向西移动时强度增加，当它们到达巴拿马和新英格兰之间的大陆某个地方时，强度会迅速恶化。较弱的飓风和热带风暴(风速63-119公里/小时)起源于整个大西洋、加勒比海和墨西哥湾。飓风的风速至少为119公里/小时，路径往往有几十公里宽，对植物、土壤、动物、人类甚至地貌都有深远的影响。对财产的破坏(Saffir 1991，Sparks 1991)和这些风暴中人的生命损失给予了极大的关注。飓风对自然生态系统的影响(图2)也已被注意到(例如，福斯特1988)，但了解较少。波多黎各的研究表明，飓风可能在热带森林树木的年龄分布(Doyle 1981，Weaver 1986，Lugo&Rivera-Batlle 1987)或生物量和物种多样性(Crow 1980)方面对构建自然生态系统产生重大影响。这些研究增加了越来越多的证据，表明自然系统在很大程度上是由干扰来组织的(Pickett&White 1985，Denslow 1987)。研究飓风如何改变自然生态系统以及它们如何应对，对于理解这些系统是如何构成的至关重要。这项研究的紧迫性在于飓风与全球气候变化之间的关系。1991年7月28日收到的地表水温度略有上升或降雨量大的时期，1991年8月5日接受了订正。
THIS ISSUE OF BIOTROPICA brings together, for the first time, a collection of case studies that document the damage to natural ecosystems and the initial recovery process from three recent hurricanes in the Caribbean. The majority of papers address the impact of Hurricane Hugo (1989) and subsequent recovery during the year following the hurricane at three sites: St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and South Carolina on the U.S. mainland (Fig. 1). Hurricane Hugo triggered a rapid increase in the level of hurricane research, in part because it passed over two Long-Term Ecological Research sites (Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico and North Inlet, South Carolina) which had ecological data that allowed comparisons of prehurricane and posthurricane conditions. Benefits of such long-term studies include the ability to separate damage caused by the recent hurricane from previous damage; to not depend on reconstruction of damage scenarios from historical evidence; and, to begin studies of recovery immediately. Hurricane Hugo also provided an opportunity to contrast hurricane damage in different environments: tropical and temperate, humid and dry, island and continental. In addition to studies of Hurricane Hugo, we include studies of the effects of Hurricane Gilbert (1988) on Jamaica and Mexico, and Hurricane Joan (1988) on Nicaragua (Fig. 1). We have emphasized studies of terrestrial ecosystems; hurricane impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems have been examined elsewhere (Woodley et al. 1981, BenitoEspinal & Benito-Espinal 1991, Finkl & Pilkey 1991). Hurricanes are frequent, large-scale disturbances in the Caribbean. During the period 18711964, zero to eleven hurricanes per year (average = 4.6, median = 8) occurred in the Caribbean (Alaka 1976), resulting in, for example, a return time of 21 yr for the island of Puerto Rico (Salivia 1972). The strongest Caribbean hurricanes typically originate off the western coast of Africa, gain strength as they pass westward over the Atlantic Ocean, and rapidly deteriorate when they reach the mainland somewhere between Panama and New England. Weaker hurricanes and tropical storms (wind speeds 63-119 km/hr) have their origins throughout the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. With wind speeds of at least 119 km/hr and paths often tens of kilometers wide, hurricanes have a profound effect on plants, soils, animals, humans, and even landforms. Much attention is given to the destruction of property (Saffir 1991, Sparks 1991), and the loss of human lives in these storms. The effects of hurricanes on natural ecosystems (Fig. 2) have also been noted (e.g., Foster 1988) but are less understood. Studies in Puerto Rico suggest that hurricanes may have a major effect in structuring natural ecosystems in terms of age distribution of tropical forest trees (Doyle 1981, Weaver 1986, Lugo & Rivera-Batlle 1987), or biomass and species diversity (Crow 1980). These studies add to the accumulating evidence that suggests natural systems are largely organized by disturbance (Pickett & White 1985, Denslow 1987). The study of how natural ecosystems are altered by hurricanes and how they respond is essential to the understanding of how these systems are structured. Adding urgency to this study is the relationship between hurricanes and global climate change. Slight increases in surface water temperatures or periods of high rainfall in the I Received 28 July 1991, revision accepted 5 August 1991.