MIAMI -- Tropical Storm Gordon, which sputtered and staggered over South Florida for a week, left a trail of rubble where showcase reefs once bloomed, researchers have found.
Waters off the coast of Florida roiled and rolled beneath the winds of Gordon like a giant blender, with loose coral and other debris smashing into the reefs, grinding delicate coral castles to rocky wreckage.
By comparison, Hurricane Andrew just pruned limbs and stems of coral that settled on the bottom and nurtured new growth.
"It was very strong, but came by so fast" that living coral fragments could rain down and become thriving new colonies, said Diego Lirman, a University of Miami doctoral student who is examining the intricate world beneath the waters of Biscayne National Park, southeast of Miami.
But Gordon uprooted young colonies before they could anchor themselves to the ocean floor, Mr. Lirman said. And unlike Andrew, Gordon pummeled the reefs for days.
Not only did Gordon destroy much of the living coral, but it also smothered a big section of reef with rubble.
"It will take a long time for the reefs to recover from Gordon," Mr. Lirman said.
The reefs' recovery after Andrew demonstrates that storms are a major mechanism for reef growth, he said. What's unclear is whether the natural recovery can take place in a system pushed to the limit by humankind.