PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – Researchers shared encouraging news about an underwater treasure in South Florida.
The findings are not only beneficial to life under the sea but for us as well. Researchers call the findings a marine miracle.
“We went out and looked at the coral and found out there was a really good diversity of coral, and the coral looks really healthy,” said Mike Terrell with Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society.
Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have been keeping an eye on our coral after an increase in coral bleaching due to rising water temperatures.
“We were assessing the health of the corals on the northern end of Florida’s coral reef tract, right here in Palm Beach County,” said Terrell.
What they found was a good amount of healthy coral.
“Even though the water temperatures are warm, they’re not as warm as they were this time last year,” said Terrell.
When the water temperature is high, corals become stressed and get rid of the algae that live within them, causing them to bleach. Prolonged high water temperatures can be deadly to corals.
Terrel says it’s critical to have healthy coral ecosystems for marine life and for us.
“Healthy coral reefs give us half the breathable oxygen that we breathe every day,” he said, “and it also protects us from storms, by buffering things like waves and wind from the land.”
Researchers are hopeful the coral in Palm Beach will continue to thrive.
“And so, if those cooler water temperatures keep staying, this could be a better year for the coral reefs,” said Terrell.
The team also saw other marine life such as a lemon shark and a loggerhead sea turtle, which they said is a great sign the coral reef ecosystem is thriving.
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