Acropora palmata: Yellow elkhorn coral in the Florida Keys. Credit: Oliver S / Shutterstock
Two corals off the Florida coast are now functionally extinct after a 2023 heatwave, according to new research published in Science.
One researcher said he’s heartbroken at the loss and this is a start warning for the future of coral reefs.
The staghorn and elkhorn corals look like the antlers of stags and elks.
They are functionally extinct—meaning there are not enough of the species left to sustain themselves.
Ross Cunning is a research biologist at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and co-first author of the study.
“To watch them, you know, nearly all of them, just, just die before our eyes in a matter of days to weeks was absolutely heartbreaking,” Cunning told WMNF.
He said corals support 25 percent of marine life.
“That’s why we call coral reefs the rainforests of the sea. There’s so many animals that live there that depend on these corals to build that structure and that habitat. And you know, they support many fisheries, you know, that provide fish that we depend on for nutrition,” Cunning said.
Corals are considered the building blocks for reefs, which provide habitat for marine life. They also provide coastal protection, reducing wave energy from storms and surges.
To stop the further extinction of corals, Cunning said we must solve the underlying problem: climate change.
“Our warming planet is causing more frequent and more extreme heat waves, and we expect to see, you know, the next heat wave, maybe even worse than 2023.” Cunning said.
Cunning encouraged people to continue to have conversations about the effects of climate change, and for lawmakers to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.
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