science.nasa.gov
After Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica in October 2025, the storm produced a massive, rare plume of bright blue sediment in the Caribbean Sea. The Category 5 storm’s intense winds churned up Pedro Bank, a vast submerged carbonate platform, suspending calcium carbonate mud that colored the water for days.
Scientists consider this a “once-in-a-century” event. The sediment tracer revealed complex surface currents and likely decimated the local seafloor ecosystem. Crucially, this phenomenon offers a unique chance to study how hurricanes transport carbon from shallow reefs to the deep ocean for long-term sequestration.
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