The coral reefs around the Florida Keys are losing their color early this summer because of record-high water temperatures.
“The corals are pale, it looks like the color’s draining out,” said Lesneski, who has spent several days on the reefs over the last two weeks. “And some individuals are stark white. And we still have more to come.”
Coral reefs are made up of tiny organisms that link together. The reefs get their color from the algae that live inside them and are the corals’ food. When temperatures get too high, the coral expels the algae, making the reefs appear white or bleached. That doesn’t mean they are dead, but the corals can starve and are more susceptible to disease.
Still, forecasting what will happen the rest of the summer is hard, De La Cour and Bruckner said. While water temperatures could continue to spike — which could be devastating — a tropical storm or hurricane could churn the water and cool it down. Dusty air from the Sahara Desert moving across the Atlantic and settling over Florida could dampen the sun’s rays, lowering temperatures.
Both scientists said it is not “all doom and gloom.” A 20-year, large-scale effort is underway to rebuild Florida's coral back to about 90% of where it was 50 years ago. Bruckner said scientists are breeding corals that can better withstand the heat and are using simple things like shade covers and underwater fans to cool the water to help them survive.
Spadaro and others who have visited the corals said they have noticed the coral bleaching is worse in the lower Keys than in the more northern parts of the area. The Keys have experienced bad bleaching years in the past, but this year it is “really aggressive and it's really persistent,” he said.
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Scientists: Florida Keys coral reefs are already bleaching as water temperatures hit record highsThe coral reefs around the Florida Keys are losing their color early this summer because of record-high water temperatures
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Scientists: Florida Keys coral reefs are already bleaching as water temperatures hit record highsThe coral reefs around the Florida Keys are losing their color early this summer because of record-high water temperatures.
Read more »
Scientists say Florida Keys coral reefs are already bleaching as water temperatures hit record highsThe coral reefs around the Florida Keys are losing their color early this summer because of record-high water temperatures
Read more »
Florida Keys coral reefs are already bleaching as water temperatures hit record highs, scientists saySome Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal scientists say.
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