Florida scientists bring endangered elkhorn coral ashore fearing another heatwave could drive it to extinction
- Scientists in Florida have launched an emergency effort to protect one of the Caribbean's most important reef-building corals from disappearing altogether.
- Researchers at the University of Miami have transported 30 fragments of endangered elkhorn coral from underwater nurseries to a land-based hatchery, fearing that another intense marine heatwave this summer could trigger widespread coral bleaching.
- The move comes after successive heatwaves in 2023 and 2024 devastated Florida's coral reefs, leaving elkhorn coral functionally extinct across much of South Florida.
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- Scientists in Florida have launched an emergency effort to protect one of the Caribbean's most important reef-building corals from disappearing altogether.
- Researchers at the University of Miami have transported 30 fragments of endangered elkhorn coral from underwater nurseries to a land-based hatchery, fearing that another intense marine heatwave this summer could trigger widespread coral bleaching.
- The move comes after successive heatwaves in 2023 and 2024 devastated Florida's coral reefs, leaving elkhorn coral functionally extinct across much of South Florida.
Sources: Times of India