After analyzing satellite and model data, NOAA’s experts say coral reefs around the world may finally catch a break from [ Coral Bleaching ] high ocean temperatures that have lingered for an unprecedented three years, the longest period since the 1980s. The latest NOAA forecast shows that widespread coral bleaching is no longer occurring in … Read more
There have been several recent reports about major events of coral bleaching. Coral reacts to the stress of warmer water by expelling zooxanthellae, the symbiotic photosynthetic algae responsible for nutrient cycling within the coral and the coral’s color. The coral provides algae with a protected environment and the compounds the algae need for photosynthesis (the … Read more
Wild winds that whipped Florida Keys seas this week played havoc with boaters but may help keep Florida Keys reef corals healthy. “Water temperatures went down about five to six degrees in a week while we were doing [reef] surveys in the Middle Keys,” said Meaghan Johnson of The Nature Conservancy’s Florida Reef Resilience Program. … Read more
Summer temperatures and light winds at the Florida Keys reef have increased reports of coral bleaching. The Coral Bleaching Early Warning Network on Monday issued a “warning” for more coral bleaching, as water temperatures at the reef near 87 degrees Fahrenheit. Reports submitted by divers to Mote Marine Laboratory on Summerland Key showed corals on 18 … Read more