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It’s been hot lately, really hot. The year 2023 is already shaping up to be possibly the hottest year ever recorded, and along with high temps have come ocean heat-waves around the globe. Which then could result in a massive coral bleaching event. In the face of that catastrophe, the University of South Florida (USF) and Florida Institute of Oceanography’s (FIO) Keys Marine Laboratory (KML) are housing thousands of coral specimens in an attempt to save them.
“For years we have been developing the infrastructure capacity to support reef restoration efforts that enable KML to temporarily house corals during emergencies such as this,” said Cynthia Lewis, director of KML. “Typically, water temperatures at this time of year are in the mid 80s, but we are already recording temperatures of 90 degrees. It is very alarming.”
Coral bleaching is a phenomena that happens as a result of warm ocean temperatures. Corals expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, when a coral bleaches, it is not dead. However, while corals can survive a bleaching event, they are under more stress and in danger of dying.
In order to combat this effect, KML is housing more than 1,500 coral specimens that were harvested in the past week from offshore nurseries and parent colonies. With 60 tanks ranging from 40 to 1,000 gallons, the lab has one of the largest temperature-controlled seawater systems in the Florida Keys. Many of the corals being housed are rare and endangered species.
Once the historically high water temperatures return to normal, USF scientists, along with local restoration practitioners, can move the corals to off-shore nurseries and then to their natural environment, reattaching them to reefs using epoxy, cement, zip ties and nails, according to USF.
“We are very fortunate that aquarium systems like those at Keys Marine Laboratory are available and can be reliably used to stabilize and hold corals in emergency situations,” Keri O’Neil, director and senior scientist of the Coral Conservation Program at The Florida Aquarium, said. “Some of the corals held here today will become part of our coral breeding program at the Florida Aquarium and will be given world-class human care for the rest of their lives, producing hundreds of offspring every year. When the time is right to return those offspring to the reef, they will once again have a short stay at Keys Marine Laboratory before returning to the ocean.”
