
As climate change continues to turn up the heat on Florida's coral reefs, scientists are going underwater to plant hope. A collaborative effort from the University of Miami, the Florida Aquarium, and Honduras-based Tela Marine is transplanting crossbred coral fragments off the coast of Miami, in an attempt to help the local reefs stay cool under pressure. Divers placed these scientifically-crafted corals on Tuesday, embarking on a project that may well decide the future health of the region's marine ecosystems.
The endeavor, as described by CBS News Miami, follows years of preparation and research, blending coral species from Florida with those from warmer Honduran waters. The resulting crossbred corals have parents from both regions creating a genetic mix that potentially offers greater resilience to warming seas and climate change, this kind of long-term focus is crucial for the sustainability of marine life as it faces unprecedented environmental shifts. The coral specimens come from a reef off Tela, Honduras, where conditions are warmer by about 2 degrees Celsius compared to Florida waters, according to Andrew Baker, a marine biology and ecology professor at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School.
The crossbreeding technique aims to bolster the thermal tolerance of the corals, a trait that is increasingly necessary as ocean temperatures rise. To evaluate the success of this innovative approach, Baker and his colleagues will be watching closely over the summer, The Independent reports. Elkhorn corals, a species once abundant along Florida's reefs, act as natural wave breakers and are essential for coastal defense—these are at the center of the project due to their severe decline in recent years.
With over 95% of Florida's Elkhorn corals lost to bleaching and temperature-induced stress, the need for intervention was dire. Keri O'Neil, Director and Senior Scientist with the Florida Aquarium's Coral Conservation Program, remarked that more coral fragments from both regions will continue to be crossbred in the laboratory, aiming to discover the most resilient offspring combinations, said O'Neil in an interview with CBS News Miami.
Juli Berwald, co-founder of Tela Coral, highlighted, “This is a project about international collaboration, about the fact that our environment really doesn’t have closed borders, that we can work together to make things better in the world,” according to a statement obtained by The Independent.