Coral reefs off the Florida Keys islands of the United States are struggling to recover from last summer's record-breaking heat wave, new data showed Thursday, in another sign of the devastating impacts of human-caused climate change.
The state's southern waters experienced hot tub-like conditions with temperatures in July briefly topping 37.8 degrees Celsius in Manatee Bay.
Coral, marine invertebrates made up of individual animals called polyps, have a symbiotic relationship with the algae that live inside their tissue and provide their primary source of food.
When the water is too warm, coral expel their algae and turn white, an effect called "bleaching" that leaves them exposed to disease and at risk of dying off.
A team of U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researchers carried out a scientific mission to assess the heat wave's impacts, surveying 64 locations at five of the major reefs that make up most of the state's 410-kilometer-long barrier reef, which is home to sea turtles, stingrays, sharks, dolphins, grouper and many more species of fish.
They found less than 22 percent of approximately 1,500 staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) – a species that is listed as a candidate for endangered species protections – remained alive.
Reference(s):
After 2023 heat wave, Florida coral reefs still struggling to recover
cgtn.com
