Florida's united effort to turn the tide on coral bleaching

A race is under way in Florida to rescue corals being bleached at alarming rates as a result of historic heatwaves and rising water temperatures.

- Maya Yang

Marine rescue organisations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) have partnered to save coral and preserve the reefs.

Since the late 1970s, the Florida Keys have had a 90% decline in healthy coral cover, a loss which experts have described as "unprecedented". Several factors have accelerated the decline in healthy coral including rising water temperatures and acidity, in addition to pollution, overfishing, storms and disease.

The Noaa foresees widespread bleaching in southern Florida and some mortality.

One of the main reasons behind the mass bleaching event - which is usually expected around late August and September - is record temperatures, which have been arriving earlier in the year, warming the ocean significantly.

"We expect reef temperatures in July to be 84F [29C] to 86F but many of our colleagues have reported 88F to 91F temperatures this month. July is incredibly early to be seeing these temperatures on our reefs," Cynthia Lewis, the director of the Keys Marine Lab at Florida's Institute of Oceanography, said.

On 24 July, the thermometer on the Manatee Bay buoy in the Florida Keys measured 38.8C. The record high temperature, which is commonly found in hot tubs, has left weather and marine experts deeply concerned.