TAMPA, Fla (WFLA) — “I have never been so worried for the future of Florida’s reefs.” This is the reaction of coral scientist Bill Precht to the record hot ocean temperatures surrounding South Florida right now. Precht is a coral reef scientist based in Miami who’s been studying coral reefs for the past 45 years. WFLA’s Chief Meteorologist and Climate Specialist...
I used to live in Florida and did some scuba diving off the keys. This was back in the mid to late 90s. Even then, there was coral bleaching and I saw invasive algae growth on the white skeletons and damaged coral left behind. We knew it was only going to get worse. We used to see 90 degree water on occasion and later in August usually.
Looking at these latest temps and remembering that significant bleaching starts at around 90 degrees, it really looks like this is a death knell for the reefs around Florida.
I used to live in Florida and did some scuba diving off the keys. This was back in the mid to late 90s. Even then, there was coral bleaching and I saw invasive algae growth on the white skeletons and damaged coral left behind. We knew it was only going to get worse. We used to see 90 degree water on occasion and later in August usually.
Looking at these latest temps and remembering that significant bleaching starts at around 90 degrees, it really looks like this is a death knell for the reefs around Florida.