Salinity and water levels rise and fall throughout different seasons of the year requiring species to be resilient and adaptable to situations as they arise. Hurricanes and severe thunderstorms release enormous quantities of water on the coastal area with most of the water running into the bays traveling on further into the Gulf. The freshwater is less dense than seawater with much of it flowing along the surface of the seawater without mixing very deeply into the bays. The salinity along the shoreline will be reduced for several days and the water level will be higher than normal. Northers will bring a temperature change of 20 to 30 degrees within the timespan of an hour.
Northers reduce air temperature and blow surface water away from the coast.
Animals will be exposed by the receding water levels and some will have to burrow into sediment or migrate to deeper water. Other species are versatile enough to be able to adapt to short-term changes in the environment and weather. Freezes and northers combined put additional stress on animals and ecosystems alike. During times of drought, estuaries can become as salty as the bays along the coast. The lack of freshwater inflow mixing with the seawater causes pollutants to concentrate in the estuary and contributes to losses of oysters and white shrimp.