Scientists are scrambling to save Florida’s dying coral reefs

A race against time and heat

Leaders at reef restoration organisations in Florida are now racing to gather coral samples and find additional space for growing tanks on land. They are also applying for fast-tracked permits to relocate already-constructed nurseries to deeper, cooler parts of the ocean.

Many members of these teams had abandoned their previous marine-based occupations in hopes that they would dedicate their lives to saving coral ecosystems.

However, repeated tragic events of the last few years have left them wary and unsure whether their continued efforts will be enough to keep these precious and fragile ecosystems alive.

This is because local scientists are observing bleaching and death in some of the Florida Keys’ most resilient corals.

Nobody expected this kind of heating to happen this early in the summer, nor did they expect it to reach such extreme levels. According to NOAA records, Florida’s 100 degree waters are unprecedented, never before recorded.

Can we save the corals?

Coral reefs require highly specific ocean conditions and take decades, centuries or millenniums to form. Unfortunately, the rate at which climate change is altering ocean temperatures is too fast for coral reefs to even attempt to adapt or recover.

Mass bleaching events, which occur when corals become stressed by extreme heat and expel the algae that give them colour and nourishment, have been increasing in frequency and severity globally. This phenomenon was unheard of only a half-century ago.

The fact that bleaching doesn’t mean corals are dead offers some hope, and luckily Florida’s oceans have now cooled down to the high 80s. Still, this is a higher temperature than recommended for a heated swimming pool and there are still many weeks of summer left to come.

As experts in both marine science and reef restoration race to make up for the loss, they are urging for citizens everywhere to demand climate action now.

They say that while growing corals in a lab, replanting them during winter months, and relocating surviving corals to deeper water is a good mitigation strategy, it will all be for nothing if global heating continues.