Fire Coral Bleaching (IMAGE)

US Geological Survey

Fire Coral Bleaching

Caption

These are colonies of "blade fire coral" that have lost their symbiotic algae, or "bleached," on a reef off of Islamorada, Florida. Hard and soft corals are presently bleaching -- losing their symbiotic algae -- all over the coral reefs of the Florida Keys due to unusually warm ocean temperatures this summer. Months with waters warmer than 85 F have become more frequent in the last several decades compared to a century ago, stressing and in some cases killing corals when temperatures remain high for too long.

Credit

Kelsey Roberts, USGS

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