Ecological status of sandy beaches after tsunami events: Insights from meiofauna investigations after the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami, Sendai Bay, Japan

Abstract

Tsunami may strongly impact beach ecosystems. To assess its magnitude five beaches along the Sendai Bay, Japan, were studied 2 months after the 11th March 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami with focus on their recovery and meiofauna assemblages within few weeks after the event. The beaches recovered and new meiofauna assemblages established, which were strongly correlated to sediment grain size. The new data and review of previous works suggest that for beach ecosystems tsunami plays a role of ecosystem disturbance, not a catastrophe.