"At this point, we do not think there's much of a chance for natural recovery-their numbers are so low that successful reproduction is incredibly unlikely,"
"Those eight previous heat waves also had major negative effects on coral reefs, causing widespread mortality,"
"But the 2023 heat wave blew all other heat waves out of the water. It was 2.2 to four times greater in magnitude than anything that came before it."
The 2023 marine heat wave drove two Acropora reef-building coral species in the Florida Reef to functional extinction, leaving population numbers too low for likely successful reproduction. Marine heat waves damage the photosynthetic machinery of symbiotic microalgae, triggering production of toxic reactive oxygen species and forcing corals to expel the algae, which causes bleaching and starvation. The Florida Reef has experienced nine recorded heat waves, with the 2023 event 2.2–4 times more intense than prior events. Corals have recovered over geological timescales in the past, but current warming removes the time needed for natural recolonization.
Read at Ars Technica
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