These Coral Reefs Are Doing Well in Gulf of Mexico
2023-11-24
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says changes in ocean temperature are the leading cause of coral bleaching around the world.
2From Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the waters of Florida, it happens when warm water causes corals to expel their colorful algae and turn white.
3Derek Manzello is the head of Coral Reef Watch, which is part of NOAA.
4He said at least 35 countries and territories across five oceans and seas reported coral bleaching.
5He said that by the year 2040, all of the world's coral will suffer from bleaching if water temperatures do not cool.
6He said coral needs extended periods of cooler water to recover from bleaching.
7If the water does not cool, he said, "the corals aren't going to have a chance to recover."
8But in the Gulf of Mexico, about 160 kilometers south of Galveston, Texas, a large coral reef is still doing well.
9The reef is part of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
10The reef formation covers over 400 square kilometers.
11It started with just two reef areas, called banks, in 1992.
12It now has 17 banks.
13It is described as undersea mountains of yellow, orange and pink coral as far as the eye can see.
14Michelle Johnston oversees the protected marine area for the federal government.
15She said seeing that much coral in one place is "magnificent" and rare.
16Johnston said fishermen used to tell the story of a colorful area in the Gulf of Mexico far from shore 100 years ago.
17But, scientists were uncertain that a coral reef could exist in such deep water.
18When divers finally reached the reef in the 1960s, they were surprised to find marine life.
19Johnston said the plants and animals do so well because the reef formed on top of mountain-like salt domes, high enough to catch sunlight.
20During the recent summer of record-breaking heat, Johnston said, the reef did experience some bleaching but nothing as serious as in other parts of the world.
21But that does not mean the reef in the Gulf of Mexico is not vulnerable to climate change.
22She is concerned about the area getting too hot and the coral dying off.
23Officials who watch over Flower Garden Banks say the reef has suffered more serious bleaching in the past, but its depth and health helped it recover.
24The reef is deeper - 18 meters - than many others that are often just offshore.
25Andy Lewis of Houston, Texas first saw the reef about 10 years ago.
26He loved it so much that he became an expert diver and started a company that leads dives to Flower Garden Banks.
27"It's just a real adventure," he said.
28Scientists are working to help the reefs stay healthy.
29For example, boats are not permitted to anchor themselves to the reefs.
30They must connect to special floating cables to stay in one place.
31Other workers help remove invasive fish and creatures from the area.
32Kelly Drinnen is an education and outreach specialist for the Flower Garden Banks.
33She said, "because coral reefs are declining all over the globe, when we find ones that are healthy, we want to keep them that way."
34Drinnen added that they could also provide information that can help other reefs stay healthy or recover from bleaching.
35In 2010, the Flower Garden Banks corals were not damaged by the large oil spill that followed the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
36Other reefs in the Gulf of Mexico were.
37So, researchers are using data from the reef to help guide the restoration of the damaged ones.
38Researchers are also comparing the genetics of Flower Garden Banks corals to corals in other parts of the world.
39And they hope to grow and possibly replant them in other places.
40I'm Dan Friedell.
1The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says changes in ocean temperature are the leading cause of coral bleaching around the world. 2From Australia's Great Barrier Reef to the waters of Florida, it happens when warm water causes corals to expel their colorful algae and turn white. 3Derek Manzello is the head of Coral Reef Watch, which is part of NOAA. He said at least 35 countries and territories across five oceans and seas reported coral bleaching. 4He said that by the year 2040, all of the world's coral will suffer from bleaching if water temperatures do not cool. He said coral needs extended periods of cooler water to recover from bleaching. If the water does not cool, he said, "the corals aren't going to have a chance to recover." 5Gulf of Mexico corals 6But in the Gulf of Mexico, about 160 kilometers south of Galveston, Texas, a large coral reef is still doing well. 7The reef is part of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The reef formation covers over 400 square kilometers. It started with just two reef areas, called banks, in 1992. It now has 17 banks. It is described as undersea mountains of yellow, orange and pink coral as far as the eye can see. 8Michelle Johnston oversees the protected marine area for the federal government. She said seeing that much coral in one place is "magnificent" and rare. 9Johnston said fishermen used to tell the story of a colorful area in the Gulf of Mexico far from shore 100 years ago. But, scientists were uncertain that a coral reef could exist in such deep water. When divers finally reached the reef in the 1960s, they were surprised to find marine life. Johnston said the plants and animals do so well because the reef formed on top of mountain-like salt domes, high enough to catch sunlight. 10During the recent summer of record-breaking heat, Johnston said, the reef did experience some bleaching but nothing as serious as in other parts of the world. But that does not mean the reef in the Gulf of Mexico is not vulnerable to climate change. She is concerned about the area getting too hot and the coral dying off. 11Officials who watch over Flower Garden Banks say the reef has suffered more serious bleaching in the past, but its depth and health helped it recover. The reef is deeper - 18 meters - than many others that are often just offshore. 12Andy Lewis of Houston, Texas first saw the reef about 10 years ago. He loved it so much that he became an expert diver and started a company that leads dives to Flower Garden Banks. 13"It's just a real adventure," he said. 14Scientists are working to help the reefs stay healthy. For example, boats are not permitted to anchor themselves to the reefs. They must connect to special floating cables to stay in one place. Other workers help remove invasive fish and creatures from the area. 15Kelly Drinnen is an education and outreach specialist for the Flower Garden Banks. She said, "because coral reefs are declining all over the globe, when we find ones that are healthy, we want to keep them that way." Drinnen added that they could also provide information that can help other reefs stay healthy or recover from bleaching. 16In 2010, the Flower Garden Banks corals were not damaged by the large oil spill that followed the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Other reefs in the Gulf of Mexico were. So, researchers are using data from the reef to help guide the restoration of the damaged ones. 17Researchers are also comparing the genetics of Flower Garden Banks corals to corals in other parts of the world. And they hope to grow and possibly replant them in other places. 18I'm Dan Friedell. 19Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 20____________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22algae -n. simple plants that grow in or near water 23coral reef -n. a long line of coral that lies in warm, often shallow, water 24magnificent -adj. used to describe something that is unusual and very impressive 25dome -n. something tall and with a rounded top, like the rounded top of a building 26vulnerable -adj. having the possibility of being hurt or injured 27anchor -v. to connect something such as a boat to the ocean floor or another object so that it will not move 28invasive -adj. something that is living in an area where it does not belong and has no other predators 29globe -n. the world, Earth