Florida's coral is disappearing: How experts are restoring ailing reefs as the ocean warms

Florida’s coral is disappearing, and experts say the losses are accelerating as ocean temperatures rise. Scientists warn that South Florida’s reefs are dying at an “alarming” rate, amid a run of heat advisories and continually climbing sea temperatures. Florida’s reefs once covered about 50% of the seafloor, but now are under 5%, according to the article. Joana Figueiredo of Nova Southeastern University’s National Coral Reef Institute says corals cannot tolerate sustained heat outside their narrow temperature range and then experience stress and die-offs. The decline matters because reefs absorb up to 97% of incoming wave energy, reducing flooding and erosion impacts. Researchers estimate U.S. coastal erosion costs about $500 million annually and beach nourishment has exceeded $10 billion over the past century. NSU is growing corals for Broward County planting, while the University of Miami is developing “hybrid reefs” with a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-funded effort to use warmer-water coral sourced from Honduras.