Why Florida’s Coral Reef is in Danger of Dying and What is Being Done to Help

Posted: August 24, 2023 3:00 pm

Florida’s sensitive coral reef is struggling as water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico continue to soar. Specially trained scuba divers are now working to save the coral as part of a program from the Islamorada Conservation and Restoration Education group.

How Volunteers Are Working to Save the Vulnerable Coral Reef

Water temperatures have slowly crept up around the Florida Keys, putting the coral reefs in danger of dying. Divers are now busy collecting these corals and transferring them to cooler waters both on land and in the surrounding ocean waters.

For instance, one team moved a batch of coral from shallow waters to a deeper part of the ocean in order to help to support their survival. Even an area a few degrees cooler can help to save these vulnerable reefs.

The Florida Reef measures almost 350 miles along the Florida Keys. This habitat provides crucial nutrients to fish habitats in the region while also protecting the area from coastal storms.

Warmer than average temperatures across the Florida Peninsula has resulted in warming ocean waters that have triggered what scientists refer to as a marine heat wave. It is not unusual for corals to have to deal with these mass bleaching events during the hot summer months. However, prolonged periods of heat in the ocean can lead to death for these populations.

Why Corals Are Struggling to Survive

This is not the first time that the Florida Reef has been threatened. The issue of overfishing, frequent tropical storms, and climate change have all worked to make these corals more susceptible to illness.

As a result, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched a mission in 2019 to restore the reef using transplanted corals. The corals that they brought in were supposed to be more likely to withstand the increase in temperatures. However, even the strongest of these corals are now facing extinction.

Corals are known for their sensitivity to heat. Thus, it is no surprise to scientists that the ocean water readings in the 90s have stressed these living creatures. Corals expel symbiotic algae when they become too hot, giving them the white appearance known as bleaching. They take on this color because their carbonate skeletons are visible through the clear tissue that has been warmed too much.

The good news is that this damage is not always irreversible. It is possible for the corals to gain new algae symbionts if temperatures in the water cool again. But the persistent warming temperatures brought about by climate change has shortened the time of cool water periods, leading to mass bleaching events across the oceans of the planet.

The coral bleaching has been so severe around the Florida Keys this year that the region is under an alert level 2. This designation is assigned when there is an extreme risk of bleaching. The level was hit approximately six weeks earlier than usual, speaking to the rapid increase in both air and water temperatures.

Because of the warnings from NOAA and its Coral Reef Watch Network, experts were able to round up the appropriate equipment and prepare to go to battle against the bleaching. For example, trained volunteers with the Keys Marine Laboratory have been collecting coral fragments for testing to help bring them back to life until the waters are cool enough for them to be returned to their natural habitat.

New Discoveries Helping to Boost Coral Populations

A number of discoveries have been made in recent years about how to best support the struggling corals. Scientists have learned that removing large amounts of algae from around the coral transplants will help to encourage better outcomes after they are transplanted.

Other known coral predators include snails and fireworks. Removing these dangers can go a long way in helping the corals to withstand the elevated water temperature until they begin to cool off once again.

Scientists are also training volunteer divers to learn how to spot bleached and diseased corals. These divers can then use a special online system to alert the experts of where the corals seem to be struggling along the Florida Reef. This close monitoring helps scientists to know where to go to help the corals that may be in danger.

All of these steps and the knowledge gained along the way combine to help experts learn how to guard and rebuild the vulnerable coral reef so that it becomes stronger for the future.

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