Potential record temperatures in waters off Florida may have lead to coral death on state reefs — and could affect larger climate systems, too.
Sea surface temperatures off the coast of Florida have reached extremes that, if verified, could be the hottest ever recorded in the world's oceans.
The reading is higher than the previous global high of 99.7 degrees, recorded off Kuwait in July of 2020. But their effects are becoming quickly apparent. The ocean temperatures around Florida's coasts, which this year have reached roughly that of a consumer hot tub, have caused widespread bleaching and mortality in state coral reefs, according to some reports, even where corals had previously shown themselves relatively resilient to changing ocean conditions.Terry Tamminen is president and CEO of AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, a scientific nonprofit that focuses on the oceans.
Corals like those in Florida represent a vital nursery for sea life that sustains entire ocean food chains and ecosystems, Tamminen says. And he says that changes in ocean temperatures could affect more than just the reefs.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Florida lawyers fire back as DOJ gets involved in Florida voting rights lawsuitA federal judge denied attempts by Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and other Florida election supervisors to keep the Justice Department from getting involved in a lawsuit regarding the state's voting laws.
Read more »
Florida Keys coral reefs are already bleaching as water temps hit record highs, scientists saySome Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal scientists said.
Read more »
'100% coral mortality' found in coral reef restoration site off Florida as ocean temperatures soarAlmost every single coral in a coral reef nursery in the Florida Keys has died as NOAA raises its coral bleaching warning system to the highest level possible for the area.
Read more »
What can Florida's dying corals tell us about the shifting climate?Potential record temperatures in waters off Florida may have lead to coral death on state reefs — and could affect larger climate systems, too.
Read more »
Triple-digit ocean temps in Florida could be a global recordThe ocean temperature off the coast of South Florida reached triple digits, which could be a global record, according to experts.
Read more »
Denver weather: Temps rising to 99 degrees with light, brief afternoon thunderstormsThe heat wave wafting across the West will hit home in metro Denver and around Colorado again Tuesday, bringing sizzling temperatures with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms but only light, brief …
Read more »