Dying coral reefs threaten Florida’s future

Floridians are not used to hearing the word “extinct” applied to species that play significant roles in the state's ecological and economic landscape.

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So last week, when researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the grim news that two key species in Florida’s iconic coral reefs had become “functionally extinct,” it took a while for reality to settle in — though the damage had been done in 2023, when coral was obliterated by the hottest year on record in 130 years.

Scientists already knew that elkhorn coral and staghorn coral — with complex, branching structures that create havens for all manner of fish and crustaceans and attract divers from around the world — had been hit hard by disease and previous hot summers. And they'd been fighting to save it. But over a period of a little more than a month, the water hit a temperature high that triggered the coral to jettison the beneficial algae that live in its structures. The process, known as bleaching, leaves the coral to lose its color and eventually starve to death. The stark white skeletons might remain for a time, but the once-living coral is dead, and will not reproduce, according to the Tribune News Service.