In Florida, swaths of coral paint a colorful landscape across the ocean floor and serve a key role in its ecosystem. But last summer, amid the longest marine heat wave in decades, many were scorched - drained of color and their survival left in question. It’s a scenario becoming much more common. KEY LARGO, Fla. With milk crates of corals in hand and scuba tanks strapped to their backs, Sam Burrell and his team disappeared under the water’s choppy surface. Heavy, breaking waves crashed against the charter boat anchored miles off the coast. With each breath they let out, they descended beneath the surface and felt a sense of relief: On this November morning, they were finally returning hundreds of corals pulled out of the water earlier in the year after one of the hottest marine heat waves on record threatened to wipe them out. For months, the corals sat in temperature-controlled tanks in the shadow of the gulf’s bay until the waters were cool enough for them to go back - and though conditions weren’t ideal, this was that moment. “Returning these corals felt a bit like a loved one leaving the hospital,” said Burrell, a senior reef restoration associate at the Coral Restoration Foundation, the largest nonprofit coral restoration group in the Florida Keys. The afternoon sun was reflecting off the boat, but sand and other sediment made it look like the divers were swimming through a dark cloud. The underwater current pulled at them. Still, nothing could deter them from the day’s task. Groups like Burrell’s had been prepared to do whatever it took to save the corals - even if that meant evacuating them each summer. But they now realize they need to radically shift their approach. With record ocean temperatures threatening another dire summer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and coral restoration groups are shifting their efforts to better keep up with the warming climate. The goal is clear: Find... |