Hot tub-like temperatures are burning coral to death in the Florida Keys | 24CA News
The Current24:29What warming waters might imply for marine life
When marine biologist Phanor Montoya-Maya went for a dive within the Florida Keys to see how a heatwave was affecting coral alongside Sombrero Reef, he was devastated by what he discovered.
“It seemed like the corals just burned to death, and that was very heartbreaking. I was diving with two of my employees … and [I could] see them crying,” Montoya-Maya instructed The Current visitor host Catherine Cullen.
Water temperatures off southern Florida have reached about 38 C in current weeks, and Montoya-Maya, a marine biologist with the Coral Restoration Foundation, says that warmth is wreaking havoc on marine life.
On the current dive, his group witnessed coral bleaching — a phenomenon that happens when coral loses the symbiotic relationship with the algae that lives inside them. When confused, usually due to excessive temperatures, it expels the algae and would not get the meals and vitamins it must survive.
Cynthia Lewis, lead scientist and director of the Florida Institute of Oceanograhy Keys Marine Laboratory, says the warmth is nearly definitely responsible.
“Just that stress alone, the physiological stress of basically sitting in that hot tub of water, is enough to kill them,” mentioned Lewis.
“These are essentially the rainforests of the ocean, as far as their life and diversity that they provide for us.”
Reef rescue
There is an effort underway to save lots of the coral. The first section of the rescue mission, Montoya-Maya says, was to acquire as a lot genetic variety as doable right into a land-based preservation system.
He says that is “in case we lose everything in the sea.”
Now the Coral Restoration Foundation is transferring 1000’s of items of coral from the Florida Keys into underwater nurseries from Carysfort Reef to Key West in southern Florida. And they’re in search of further locations they’ll retailer and shield 1000’s extra.
Their plan is to develop new coral and replant them within the Florida Keys.
Montoya-Maya says that they had deliberate to answer the impacts of local weather change, however this yr’s warmth has been worse than anticipated.
“We were already expecting something strong … and difficult to happen this year. We were not expecting to see it this soon, this quickly,” mentioned Montoya-Maya.
“We are going to continue learning for the next time that this happens. Because until we [do] take climate action, this, unfortunately, will continue to happen.”
Coral reefs within the Florida Keys have been decimated by illness, human exercise and rising ocean temperatures. CBC’s worldwide local weather correspondent Susan Ormiston met the scientists engineering new coral in a lab and planting them within the wild to attempt to restore a essential ecosystem.
The worth of the reef
Florida’s coral barrier reef is the one one among its sort within the United States, and Lewis says it is important to guard on plenty of ranges.
The reef, which is about 5 to eight kilometres from shore, gives safety in opposition to waves.
“It’s the first line of defence for hurricanes and storms and all that wave energy coming ashore,” mentioned Lewis. “It does prevent flooding and erosion on our coastal areas.”
Lewis says there’s additionally an financial impression to dropping these reefs. Lobsters, that are necessary for industrial fishing there, stay within the habitat alongside the reef.
The reef additionally attracts in tourism {dollars}, by means of snorkeling, scuba diving and leisure fishing.
Impact on Canada’s oceans
Susanna Fuller, vice chairman of conservation at Oceans North, says what’s taking place within the Florida Keys needs to be a warning signal for individuals making an attempt to guard different elements of the ocean.
Fuller’s group focuses on conservation in Canada’s Arctic and Atlantic areas, the place there has additionally been an increase in water temperature. In 2021 and 2022, temperatures in waters off the coast of Atlantic Canada reached document highs.
And in 2017, endangered North Atlantic proper whales started swimming into the Bay of Fundy, resulting in a document quantity of deaths.
Fuller says that whereas Canada does have a nationwide adaptation technique for local weather change, there must be extra deal with the ocean.
“We really need to up what we’re doing in coastal provinces and through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,” mentioned Fuller.
“Generally, we have to double down and redouble our efforts globally on reducing emissions. That’s the biggest thing that we can do for the ocean.”
