Hurricane forcing on chlorophyll‐a concentration off the northeast coast of the U.S.

The effect of known physical disturbances caused by hurricanes on chlorophyll‐a concentration ([Chl]) is ascertained using remote sensing. This study focuses on all seven hurricanes which affected the northeast (NE) Coast of the U.S. during the Sea‐viewing Wide Field‐of‐view Sensor's (SeaWiFS) lifetime. It is shown that [Chl] increases significantly across the continental shelf of the eastern seaboard after the passage of a hurricane, with also a marked filamentation. The disturbances caused by hurricanes on the biological scale constitute strong and persistent events providing further evidence of the role that upwelling and mixing exert on [Chl] variation.