National Science FoundationWhere Discoveries BeginLong-forgotten coastal habitats reappeared, species unseen for years returnedThe reappearance of long-forgotten habitats and the resurgence of species unseen for years may not be among the expected effects of a natural disaster.Yet that's exactly what researchers found in a study of the sandy beaches of south central Chile, after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake and devastating tsunami in 2010.Their study also revealed a preview of the problems wrought by sea level rise--a major symptom of climate change.In a scientific first, researchers from Southern University of Chile and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) were able to document the before-and-after ecological impacts of such cataclysmic occurrences.A paper appearing today in the journal PLoS ONE details the surprising results of their study, pointing to the potential effects of natural disasters on sandy beaches worldwide.Read the full story at National Science Foundation article