After Biscayne Bay Fish Kill, FL Braces For Coral Bleaching; Virginia Key Water Temp @ 92.5 In July
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For corals, high water temperatures and pollution cause them to expel the algae that live inside them, providing food and giving them their bright colors. In hot temperatures, the algae become toxic and the corals basically spit them out. Without the algae, the corals weaken, turn bone white and become more susceptible to disease and death.
Water temperatures at Virginia Key reached 92.5 degrees Fahrenheit on July 2, the highest temperature since the station was installed in 1994, tweeted Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at Rosenstiel. That record was unusual, because peak temperatures are usually seen in August, said Mark Eakin, a coordinator for NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch. This month, NOAA satellites have already recorded temperatures as high as 88 degrees Fahrenheit in Biscayne Bay, a mere 2 degrees from the record set on Aug 17, 2017.
Eakin noted the satellites aren’t specific enough to detect temperature changes within north Biscayne Bay, where the bulk of the fish kill occurred. But the satellites do help scientists make predictions, and right now Biscayne Bay is expected to get even hotter. In a few weeks, NOAA predicts the Bay could be warm enough for serious coral bleaching. This week, Biscayne Bay is under a coral bleaching warning, but Eakin said it could escalate to alert level 1 as soon as next week. At that point, 10 percent of the coral or more could begin to bleach.
“If the temperatures continue to rise as they’re forecast to, we’re likely to see coral bleaching increase across South Florida,” he said. The Keys has been under a level 1 alert for weeks and could jump to a level 2 soon, where “you also start to see significant coral mortality,” Eakin said. However, he said, after years of decimation from heat, pollution and other human-caused factors, the most sensitive corals have all but died off, leaving only the hardiest and most heat-resistant corals behind.
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https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article245025855.html
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