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https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2024/florida-coral-restoration/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f007>
"With milk crates of corals in hand and scuba tanks strapped to their backs,
Sam Burrell and his team disappeared under the water’s choppy surface. Heavy,
breaking waves crashed against the charter boat anchored miles off the coast.
With each breath they let out, they descended beneath the surface and felt a
sense of relief: On this November morning, they were finally returning hundreds
of corals pulled out of the water earlier in the year after one of the hottest
marine heat waves on record threatened to wipe them out. For months, the corals
sat in temperature-controlled tanks in the shadow of the gulf’s bay until the
waters were cool enough for them to go back — and though conditions weren’t
ideal, this was that moment.
“Returning these corals felt a bit like a loved one leaving the hospital,” said
Burrell, a senior reef restoration associate at the Coral Restoration
Foundation, the largest nonprofit coral restoration group in the Florida Keys.
The afternoon sun was reflecting off the boat, but sand and other sediment made
it look like the divers were swimming through a dark cloud. The underwater
current pulled at them. Still, nothing could deter them from the day’s task.
Groups like Burrell’s had been prepared to do whatever it took to save the
corals — even if that meant evacuating them each summer. But they now realize
they need to radically shift their approach.
With record ocean temperatures threatening another dire summer, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and coral restoration groups are
shifting their efforts to better keep up with the warming climate. The goal is
clear: Find the survivors from last summer’s heat wave and focus on restoring
areas where the species will have the best chance when heat strikes again."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-fine-free-libraries-new-california-park/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
