Nitrogen from sewage and farms is starving Florida corals to death, study says

[jpak]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article232685147.html

Nitrogen from improperly treated sewage and fertilizer runoff from farms and lawns is starving Florida Keys corals to death, according to a new study published in the journal Marine Biology.

The study led by Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Looe Key, in the Florida Keys, showed that higher nutrient levels in Florida waters is a key cause of coral bleaching and death. As nutrient runoff from farming and from a growing population increases the amount of nitrogen levels in the water, corals are actually dying before being affected by warmer water temperatures, said Brian Lapointe, one of the authors of the study and a professor at FAU’s Harbor Branch.

“Our results provide compelling evidence that nitrogen loading from the Florida Keys and greater Everglades ecosystem caused by humans, rather than warming temperatures, is the primary driver of coral reef degradation at Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area during our long-term study,’’ Lapointe said in a statement.

Coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate all over the world as warming water temperatures due to climate change increase the frequency of coral bleaching events. Heat stress and other factors lead corals to expel the algae living in their tissue, causing them to turn completely white. Corals have a symbiotic relationship with these microscopic algae that live inside them and give them their color. The algae are also the primary food source for corals.

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[lapfog_1]

1. I've been telling my younger relatives

to go see the coral reefs now... right now... this year.

In 10 years it may be hard to find a healthy reef.

[Ohiogal]

2. I'm so glad

I was able to go snorkeling in the Keys back in the late 90s.

The beauty of the reefs and fish in that underwater paradise is unparalleled. It makes my heart ache to think of how it is being decimated by pollution and irresponsible environmental policies.

[SharonAnn]

3. Trump voting states killing Trump voting states?