Home Science Unexpected impact of hurricanes on Puerto Rico’s watershed

Unexpected impact of hurricanes on Puerto Rico’s watershed

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Researchers have found unprecedentedly high levels of nitrate, an essential plant nutrient, in streams and watersheds of Puerto Rico for a year after two consecutive major hurricanes in 2017. This high amount of nitrate may have important climate change implications that could harm forest recovery and threaten ecosystems along Puerto Rico’s coastline by escalating algal blooms and dead zones.