Did you know that six miles out from the Florida Keys is the only living coral barrier reef in North America?
This reef is in trouble.
The barrier reef that runs along the Florida Keys is experiencing coral bleaching. Coral bleaching happens when coral gets stressed by changes like changes in water temperature (both warm water temperatures and cold water temperatures), nutrient pollution, or light.
When these changes happen, they will release symbiotic-algae that lives in their tissues making them turn completely white. Pollution run-off and wastewater are major threats to these corals.
Check out this video and the diagram below to learn more about coral bleaching in South Florida:
Featured image and diagram from NOAA