Short-term changes in tidepools following two hurricanes

Three tidepools in the rocky intertidal zone of coastal Maine, USA, were examined before and after the passing of two hurricanes: Gloria, in 1985, and Bob, in 1991. Surface area was little changed in one pool, and reduced in a second pool that were formed from rock. Surface area increased significantly in a third pool that had a nonpermanent border. Sand deposition on the bottom of tidepools increased in three of the five pairs of observations, and sand was not present before or after storms in the other two instances. Algal cover was generally reduced, and beds of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) were significantly reduced or were extirpated. Fish numbers were generally lower after the storms, but numbers returned to pre-event levels in the following season. Physical and biological alterations to tidepools were often severe for the short term, but systems were resilient for the long term.Cooperators are the University of Maine, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, National Biological Service, and the Wildlife Management Institute