Summer temperatures are setting records across the southern United States, and here in Florida. Last week, Miami reached a heat index in the triple digits for the 39th consecutive day, extending the record the city had broken the week before.
And, if you look at a map of surface water temperatures across the Atlantic Ocean you’ll find above average temperatures basically everywhere.
Florida’s corals and coral reefs have been decimated over the past 40 or so years. Only a fraction of Florida’s corals remain, mostly due to diseases but also coral bleaching which is caused by warm water temperatures.
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Experts warn of damage to ocean life due to temperatures
The threshold for bleaching is around 86 degrees, and right now biologists are recording temperatures in the lower 90s offshore, and in the upper 90s and even over 100 in bays. Overall, south Florida water temps are about 4 to 5 degrees warmer on average right now than they were last year at this time, and this is leading to widespread bleaching events that are happening earlier than would be expected.
Corals and the reefs they help build are critical habitats for all sorts of marine life, and key drivers of the economy, especially in the Florida Keys.
To get some context on what’s unfolding this summer, and what the implications are for what’s left of Florida’s corals, we spoke with two marine biologists who are monitoring our corals and how they’re being impacted so far this summer.
You can see photos of bleached corals taken by FWC biologists this summer here.
GUESTS:
Jennifer Stein is a marine biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. She manages and coordinates the Florida Disturbance Response Monitoring program, which is part of the Florida Reef Resilience Program.
Katy Cummings is a marine biologist and coral outreach specialist with the FWC’s Coral Program.
Past GCLs about threats corals face and efforts to restore them:
New Coral Reef Conservation Initiative, Oct. 19, 2016
Experts Gather from Around the World to Get the Latest on Coral Reef Restoration, Dec. 17, 2017
A Disease Called White Plague is Devastating Florida's Coral Species, May 9, 2018
Land-Based Nitrogen Pollution Playing Major Role in Coral Reef Die-Offs, July 22, 2019
Researchers Working to Save Threatened Corals: In the Ocean, and in the Lab, Aug. 18, 2020
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