Florida Researchers Expand Coral Restoration as Ocean Temperatures Rise

Florida scientists and volunteers are expanding coral restoration projects as sea-surface temperatures rise ahead of another potentially hot summer. Recent measurements showed parts of Florida Bay reaching 97 degrees Fahrenheit, according to WPLG. The spike follows the summer of 2023, when NOAA scientists recorded the worst coral bleaching event in South Florida history.

Although federal officials have not yet reported widespread bleaching in the Florida Keys this season, early signs have appeared near Miami.

Morphologic reported bleaching in roughly 25 percent of corals near PortMiami. Dalton Hesley, a coral restoration ecologist at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School, said Miami has experienced heat stress for three years straight. Researchers are using selective breeding to develop heat-tolerant strains.

Last year, University of Miami scientists collected elkhorn coral fragments from Tela Bay, Honduras. Those fragments were crossbred with Florida elkhorn coral at the Florida Aquarium, and the resulting juveniles have now been planted on a Miami reef.

Andrew Baker, a marine biologist at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School, said the project marks the first time such outplanting has been permitted. The team will monitor the corals over the coming months to assess thermal tolerance. Three miles offshore at Paradise Reef, the Rescue a Reef program grows staghorn corals on underwater metal structures.

Volunteers recently cleaned algae from the nursery and planted more than 150 fragments back onto the reef. Over the last decade, the program has restored approximately 2,000 corals at the site. Biologists note that localized restoration cannot fully reverse decades of decline without broader measures.