Florida’s Coral Reefs are Being Evacuated in Race to Rescue Them From Soaring Temperatures

As Florida's oceans reach record breaking temperatures, scientists in the state are working against the clock to save endangered coral. 

More than 1,500 corals have been evacuated from the Florida Keys in the last week, and now many are being kept in the Keys Marine Laboratory, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 

The evacuation efforts came as waters off the coast of Florida recently reached temperatures as high as 100 degrees. 

Corals are particularly sensitive to increased water temperatures, according to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The change in water temperature stresses the creatures, and can kill the algae that live in their tissue. This process is known as coral bleaching, because it's the algae that gives coral its distinctive color.  

While bleaching doesn’t kill the corals immediately, the sanctuary notes that it can still greatly endanger the organisms. 

“The algae give coral polyps the food they need to survive,” the sanctuary’s website says. 

“Corals can survive bleaching events, [but] they are under greater stress, are less resistant to other threats such as disease, and are thus subject to mortality.” 

Following the staggering levels of heat in the Florida Keys, experts urged scientists to focus their efforts on preserving the lives of existing corals, while documenting the losses caused by the high temperatures, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 

The Coral Restoration Consortium, which is an international body of experts, outlined the most important priorities for Florida coral experts, in guidance that was distributed to their members, this week. 

“In this moment, we need to protect what we can, identify resilient corals, and experiment with techniques to help us in the future,” the guidance said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 

While scientists work to protect the coral damaged by last week’s water temperatures, they are also cognizant that the situation could get even worse, as the summer progresses. 

“It’s only July. We likely haven’t seen the warmest part of the year yet,” coral scientist Bill Precht told the Tampa Bay Times. 

“All the clues in front of us are pointing to [the fact] that this year is going to be catastrophic — unlike any other year," he added.

“We could be losing corals in percentages that we’ve never lost before in a year.”