Coral Reefs

Marine scientists have begun restoring corals to underwater nurseries as waters have cooled and conditions have improved off Florida's coast, following a summer of record-breaking ocean temperatures.

A Q&A with Jason Evans, associate professor of environmental science and studies at Stetson University.

Scientists are returning rescued coral into the Florida Keys Reef Tract. Earlier this summer, exceedingly warm water temperatures put many coral species in jeopardy.

For the past 14 months, the Department of Defense has been working with three international teams of scientists, including from the University of Miami, to build a hybrid reef made of concrete and coral.

Iconic elkhorn and staghorn corals took the heaviest losses, and researchers say they are at risk of becoming “functionally extinct” in the Florida Reef.

Caribbean king crabs are herbivores that consume algae off coral reefs. Mote says the species is critical to reef restoration efforts.

Experts say they are observing “thousands upon thousands” of miles of reefs undergoing bleaching due to heat stress caused by record high ocean temperatures.

A group of researchers based at the University of Florida are looking into whether low oxygen levels in the waters off the state's shores are contributing to coral bleaching and deaths.

Coral spawning just brought a wave of much-needed excitement to coral scientists working to curb the bleaching crisis.

University of Miami scientists and volunteers are planting coral fragments off of Key Biscayne to research the genetic differences that might make them more heat tolerant, as coral reefs are threatened by high ocean temperatures.

Coral rescued from nurseries off Key Biscayne this month have now spawned at a University of Miami Rosenstiel School lab. Making babies could be a good sign for coral that have endured weeks of punishing heat.

Earlier this week, sea surface temperatures reached as high as 101.2 degrees Fahrenheit around the state’s southern tip in Manatee Bay — although scientists said the context for Monday’s reading is complicated.