Record hot seawater killed more than three-quarters of human-cultivated coral that scientists had placed in the Florida Keys in recent years in an effort to prop up a threatened species that’s highly vulnerable to climate change, researchers discovered. Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week returned to five reefs where they planted staghorn and elkhorn coral, both classified as threatened in the endangered species list, to see how the repopulated critters had survived prolonged water temperatures in the 90s (30s Celsius) last summer and fall. Scientists blame human-caused climate change, with a boost from a natural El Nino, for making the water too hot for the delicate coral, which are animals, to survive.
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Seth-borenstein
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Mark-eakin
University-of-victoria
National-oceanic
Atmospheric-administration
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Katey-lesneski
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