SOUTH FLORIDA (SNN TV) – The water off South Florida is over 90 degrees in mid-July, and scientists say that’s a bad sign for the state’s coral.
Corals are sensitive, and with water temperatures soaring in South Florida, researchers are worried about coral bleaching. That’s the white areas you can see in the pictures.
A coral scientist interviewed by an NBC-6 reporter in Miami says we’re on track for corals to bleach this summer and bleach for a longer period than ever seen. That’ll likely lead to high levels of corals dying.
A researcher at Nova Southern University says they’ve paused transferring corals they’ve raised to Florida reefs because the waters are hot.
Through genetic engineering, researchers are developing corals which can tolerate higher water temperatures. The question will be how many, and at what scale?
