Tech News

Coral reefs in Florida Keys hit hard this hurricane season, but there are signs of recovery

October 22, 2017

Out on the water’s surface, floating above the site of a coral nursery was the first sign of trouble: a tangled mass of line, buoys, lobster traps, and debris. 

A coral restoration team from Florida’s Mote Marine Laboratory was checking on its underwater nursery for the first time since Hurricane Irma brought 140-mph winds to the Keys, and things didn’t look promising. The team of scientists grows coral, which is then planted out on reefs decimated by global warming and other human abuses, 

“Right off the bat we thought, ‘Oh it’s going to be completely destroyed,” said Erich Bartels, a Mote staff scientist. While the infrastructure, including the PVC trees where corals hang like drying laundry put out to dry, survived the storm, much of the vibrant coral within the 60-by-80 meter site did not. Whipped up sand and tangled fishing gear helped harm the delicate coral. Read more…

More about Florida, Coral Reefs, Florida Keys, Florida Keys Reefs, and Hurricane Irma


Source: Mashable | Coral reefs in Florida Keys hit hard this hurricane season, but there are signs of recovery

No Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.