Scientists Work to Save Florida Reefs
2023-08-14
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Several organizations are racing to save the reef that runs along the Florida Keys.
2A summer heat wave has already led to historic coral bleaching.
3Coral bleaching is the process by which coral becomes white because of high water temperatures or pollution.
4Up and down the islands that form the Florida Keys, coral rescue groups, universities and the government are working to save the coral.
5Experts say the bleaching event threatens the health of the third-largest reef area in the world.
6They have been working long days for many weeks to get as much coral as they can onto land.
7In mid-July, water surface temperatures averaged 33 degrees Celsius off the lower Florida Keys.
8That is well above the average of 29.5 degrees, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
9The hot water resulted in nearly 100 percent bleaching along some parts of the reef.
10The bleaching caused the corals to lose their zooxanthellae.
11That is the algae that gives them color and nutrition.
12If they do not recover their zooxanthellae, they will die.
13"We're already seeing not just bleaching, but actual coral death out on the reef because the temperatures were so hot," said Cynthia Lewis.
14She is director of the Keys Marine Lab, a research institute on the island of Long Key, about 160 kilometers south of Miami.
15In Miami, rescue groups have already brought more than 1,500 pieces of coral.
16Coral bleaching happens naturally when waters warm greatly.
17It happened in 2016 in the Florida Keys.
18But Lewis said the current situation is urgent for coral, which is very important to Florida's economy, coastal protection and marine life.
19Recent cloudy and rainy days helped lower water temperatures slightly.
20But it will likely be late October or November before the coral samples can be returned to the reef, Lewis said.
21The Florida Coral Reef stretches about 563 kilometers from the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico to St. Lucie Inlet, about 185 kilometers north of Miami.
22The reef is a first line of defense against coastal erosion and flooding from storms, Lewis said.
23It helps support fishing and the tourism industry.
24Coral also contains "such an amazing amount of diversity and life" in the ocean around them, Lewis added.
25Reef Renewal is a group that has worked to move endangered coral into land-based centers.
26More recently, the group has worked to save coral in several of their own underwater facilities in shallower water by moving them to deeper, cooler water.
27Reef Renewal founder Ken Nedimyer called the coral bleaching "hard to watch and hard to experience."
28He said his group knew that coral stress would increase under climate change.
29But he and others did not think it would happen so soon.
30Back at the Keys Marine Lab on Long Key, the collected pieces of coral are put in cooling containers that hold between 40 and 400 gallons of seawater.
31The 29-degree water makes for "much happier coral," said marine biologist Emily Becker.
32The work goes beyond saving the coral.
33Becker and others are studying different kinds of coral to see which ones survive temperature stress and disease better.
34They hope to "build a better reef with more resilient corals," she said.
35Scientists from the University of Miami have created a research site off of Key Biscayne to do such work.
36Jamison Gove is the co-writer of a new article in Nature about how Hawaii coral reefs survived a 2015 ocean heat wave.
37The oceanographer said reefs that returned best after Hawaii's heat wave were those that had both the most fish and the least sewage.
38But he said local efforts will not save reefs if people do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
39I'm Dan Novak.
1Several organizations are racing to save the reef that runs along the Florida Keys. 2A summer heat wave has already led to historic coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is the process by which coral becomes white because of high water temperatures or pollution. 3Up and down the islands that form the Florida Keys, coral rescue groups, universities and the government are working to save the coral. Experts say the bleaching event threatens the health of the third-largest reef area in the world. They have been working long days for many weeks to get as much coral as they can onto land. 4In mid-July, water surface temperatures averaged 33 degrees Celsius off the lower Florida Keys. That is well above the average of 29.5 degrees, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. 5The hot water resulted in nearly 100 percent bleaching along some parts of the reef. The bleaching caused the corals to lose their zooxanthellae. That is the algae that gives them color and nutrition. If they do not recover their zooxanthellae, they will die. 6"We're already seeing not just bleaching, but actual coral death out on the reef because the temperatures were so hot," said Cynthia Lewis. She is director of the Keys Marine Lab, a research institute on the island of Long Key, about 160 kilometers south of Miami. 7In Miami, rescue groups have already brought more than 1,500 pieces of coral. 8Coral bleaching happens naturally when waters warm greatly. It happened in 2016 in the Florida Keys. But Lewis said the current situation is urgent for coral, which is very important to Florida's economy, coastal protection and marine life. 9Recent cloudy and rainy days helped lower water temperatures slightly. But it will likely be late October or November before the coral samples can be returned to the reef, Lewis said. 10The Florida Coral Reef stretches about 563 kilometers from the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico to St. Lucie Inlet, about 185 kilometers north of Miami. 11The reef is a first line of defense against coastal erosion and flooding from storms, Lewis said. It helps support fishing and the tourism industry. Coral also contains "such an amazing amount of diversity and life" in the ocean around them, Lewis added. 12Reef Renewal is a group that has worked to move endangered coral into land-based centers. More recently, the group has worked to save coral in several of their own underwater facilities in shallower water by moving them to deeper, cooler water. 13Reef Renewal founder Ken Nedimyer called the coral bleaching "hard to watch and hard to experience." He said his group knew that coral stress would increase under climate change. But he and others did not think it would happen so soon. 14Back at the Keys Marine Lab on Long Key, the collected pieces of coral are put in cooling containers that hold between 40 and 400 gallons of seawater. The 29-degree water makes for "much happier coral," said marine biologist Emily Becker. 15The work goes beyond saving the coral. Becker and others are studying different kinds of coral to see which ones survive temperature stress and disease better. They hope to "build a better reef with more resilient corals," she said. 16Scientists from the University of Miami have created a research site off of Key Biscayne to do such work. 17Jamison Gove is the co-writer of a new article in Nature about how Hawaii coral reefs survived a 2015 ocean heat wave. 18The oceanographer said reefs that returned best after Hawaii's heat wave were those that had both the most fish and the least sewage. But he said local efforts will not save reefs if people do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 19I'm Dan Novak. 20Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 21________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23bleach - n. whiten by exposure to sunlight or by a chemical process. 24erosion - n. the gradual destruction of something by natural forces 25tourism - n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure 26diversity - n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc. 27facility - n. something that is built for a specific purpose 28stress - n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc. 29resilient - adj. able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens 30sewage - n. waste material that is carried away from homes and other buildings in a system of pipes 31emission - n. the act of producing or sending out something from a source