Scientists have recently discovered a reef off the Florida Keys have been completely bleached by a marine heat wave, leading to concerns about the ecosystem’s long-term stability.
Ian Enochs, a research ecologist and lead of NOAA’s AOML coral program said, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”Photos from the expedition show what are usually bright-colored coral are now pale white and exemplify symptoms of heat stress.“This is more bleaching than I’ve seen, earlier than I’ve ever seen it. We still have a warm South Florida summer ahead of us, which means more stressful conditions.
Despite the alarming event, Enochs said that bleaching doesn’t always lead to mortality and corals are known to recover when waters cool. The lab is expected to continue its extensive observations through the remainder of the year to further understand the impacts on the ecosystem and how long it could take the corals to recover.They admit that even though recent news has been tough, they are not giving up hope.
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