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Scientists Urgently Moving Florida's Coral to Safety Amid Record Bleaching

Small fragments of living coral submerged in tank of water with tags attached to them.
Islamorada, Florida-July 24, 2023-Javier Solar, a member of the Coral Restoration Foundation, brings up threatened coral transplants from the Florida Keys waters for safe keeping on land until the waters cool off. The threat of coral bleaching is extreme as the water temperatures hit over 90 degrees. Members of Coral Restoration Foundation work to save coral species that are threatened by extremely warm waters due to global warming in the Florida Keys. Coral that had been out planted is being removed from the ocean for safe keeping until the water cools down. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Overview

  • Florida's coral reefs are being devastated by a severe marine heat wave, causing mass coral bleaching.
  • The Coral Restoration Foundation is desperately moving coral samples from the sea to tanks on land to try to save them.
  • This is the worst coral bleaching event ever recorded in Florida's history.
  • Scientists are hastily salvaging the most threatened coral species and creating gene banks.
  • The long-term survival of coral reefs is in jeopardy without drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.