Shown here is a small colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
SPCMSC scientists and National Park Service resource managers collaborate to save threatened corals during ocean-heat wave
A team from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center and the National Park Service conducted emergency fieldwork to protect corals during the ongoing Florida coral-bleaching event.
Coral reef ecosystems provide ecological and economic services by providing habitat for fish and other reef-dwelling species and by protecting shorelines from storms. As corals continue to perish from stressors such as coral diseases and rising ocean temperatures, those services are in jeopardy.
Ilsa Kuffner, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, and Joseph Terrano (USGS SPCMSC) joined a team from the National Park Service (NPS) led by Karli Hollister and Jordan Holder to safeguard threatened corals within Dry Tortugas National Park. Following that effort, the USGS team visited Biscayne National Park to conduct similar interventions, adding Ben Galbraith and Alex Modys from SPCMSC to the team for extra help. The corals are in peril because of a phenomenon known as “coral bleaching.” Corals become "bleached," that is, lose their algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) that provide corals with color, and more importantly, food, when ocean temperatures reach and remain above 87 degrees Fahrenheit. The current, ongoing bleaching event is being caused by unprecedented above average ocean temperatures being driven by both El Niño effects and global climate change. The longer that corals experience these elevated temperatures, the higher the chance that the corals will starve and perish.
The USGS and NPS teams are attempting to mediate the impacts of this bleaching event using three approaches: shading select corals that were already in nursery or experimental settings, temporarily enhancing feeding opportunities using dim lights at night to attract prey, and evacuating representatives of unique genetic lines of threatened species to land-based aquarium facilities. These actions are modest considering the spatially widespread populations of nearly all coral species that are being affected, but coral managers are optimistic they can help with coral recovery from this bleaching event.
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Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST)
Underwater temperature on off-shore coral reefs of the Florida Keys, U.S.A.
The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. Coral reef organisms are very sensitive to high and low water-temperature extremes. It is critical to precisely know water temperatures experienced by corals and associated plants and animals that live in the dynamic, nearshore environment to document th
Experimental Data on Construction and Erosion of Orbicella Coral Reefs in the Florida Keys, U.S.A.
USGS Coral Photo ArchiveFlorida Keys Corals: A Photographic Record of Changes from 1959 to 2015
Shown here is a small colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has succumbed to "bleaching," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has succumbed to "bleaching," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here are three SCUBA divers installing shade structures over experimental Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) that have become "bleached," that is, lost all their algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The corals are attached to cement blocks as part of the U.S.
Shown here are three SCUBA divers installing shade structures over experimental Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) that have become "bleached," that is, lost all their algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The corals are attached to cement blocks as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, in Dry Tortugas National Park that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, in Dry Tortugas National Park that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave.
Heterotrophy, microbiome, and location effects on restoration efficacy of the threatened coral Acropora palmata
The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise
Unified methods in collecting, preserving, and archiving coral bleaching and restoration specimens to increase sample utility and interdisciplinary collaboration
Coral reefs are declining worldwide primarily because of bleaching and subsequent mortality resulting from thermal stress. Currently, extensive efforts to engage in more holistic research and restoration endeavors have considerably expanded the techniques applied to examine coral samples. Despite such advances, coral bleaching and restoration studies are often conducted within a specific disciplin
Related Content
Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST)
Underwater temperature on off-shore coral reefs of the Florida Keys, U.S.A.
The USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. Coral reef organisms are very sensitive to high and low water-temperature extremes. It is critical to precisely know water temperatures experienced by corals and associated plants and animals that live in the dynamic, nearshore environment to document th
Experimental Data on Construction and Erosion of Orbicella Coral Reefs in the Florida Keys, U.S.A.
USGS Coral Photo ArchiveFlorida Keys Corals: A Photographic Record of Changes from 1959 to 2015
Shown here is a small colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a small colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has succumbed to "bleaching," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has succumbed to "bleaching," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here are three SCUBA divers installing shade structures over experimental Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) that have become "bleached," that is, lost all their algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The corals are attached to cement blocks as part of the U.S.
Shown here are three SCUBA divers installing shade structures over experimental Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) that have become "bleached," that is, lost all their algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The corals are attached to cement blocks as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, in Dry Tortugas National Park that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave.
Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, in Dry Tortugas National Park that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave.
Heterotrophy, microbiome, and location effects on restoration efficacy of the threatened coral Acropora palmata
The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise
Unified methods in collecting, preserving, and archiving coral bleaching and restoration specimens to increase sample utility and interdisciplinary collaboration
Coral reefs are declining worldwide primarily because of bleaching and subsequent mortality resulting from thermal stress. Currently, extensive efforts to engage in more holistic research and restoration endeavors have considerably expanded the techniques applied to examine coral samples. Despite such advances, coral bleaching and restoration studies are often conducted within a specific disciplin
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