This past week’s devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona in the Caribbean and North Atlantic served as a stark reminder of the destructive potential of coastal hurricanes.
Because of climate change, scientists foresee more severe weather, but they also issue a warning that one of the strongest current sources of defense against waves and floods is disappearing.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, coral reefs act as natural barriers that shield the United States from harm worth billions of dollars every year.
One of the greatest barrier reefs in the world may be found in the state of Florida, which has seen 18 hurricanes in the last 40 years.
However, at that period, about 90% of the Florida Keys’ live coral has vanished. Because of how bad things are, marine scientists are working harder than ever to come up with creative solutions to attempt to save the reefs.
And it is the subject of our tale this evening. It includes bizarre underwater farms, the US Department of Defense, and more information about coral sex lives than we ever imagined we’d need to know.
With marine researchers Andrew Baker and Diego Lirman, we left Miami behind us and traveled two miles offshore. They are longtime friends and coworkers who teach at the University of Miami and have firsthand knowledge of how the reefs have altered.
According to Andrew Baker, water pollution, climate change, and coral die-off are all having a significant impact on the Caribbean. However, the Florida Keys undoubtedly take the lead in terms of the total quantity of destroyed coral.
Because of this, the University of Miami constructed a nursery in this area of the ocean where you would typically go to purchase a tree or a rose bush.
Diego Lirman: This is where we raise coral. The same as you do on land, here is where we operate. You cultivate your corals, trim them, and then place them elsewhere—on a natural reef.
We went to have a look, but the water was murky and the current was strong. A nurse shark gave us a brief once over before moving on. Corals, which are really colonies of microscopic organisms called polyps whose calcium carbonate skeletons construct the reefs and defend the coasts, are sometimes mistaken for rocks or plants. We reached a location with 40 of these tree-like structures after a little swim.
Living coral fragments that have been removed from thriving colonies across Florida are hanging from them like decorations.
They are situated near the surface where they get a lot of sunshine, nutrients, and periodic cleanings of macro-algae that might harm them. What Andrew Baker said
The ability to develop a lot of coral tissue fast is one of these nurseries’ greatest benefits, according to Andrew Baker. Compared to the reefs, they develop more quickly in these trees.
Numerous of the coral species that are present here are significant and endangered Florida species, such as Staghorn and Elkhorn.
It felt strange to be given a clipper and instructed to begin cutting off bits of coral considering that every diver is aware that they shouldn’t touch coral.
We transported the staghorn coral I had cut to Rainbow Reef, a neighboring region where Professor Lirman and his colleagues have been replanting coral for the last two and a half years.
He demonstrated to me how to join the freshly cut pieces to the reef using a unique kind of cement. It’s tougher than it seems with the current.
Making sure that these corals don’t perish due to the same factors that wiped out their forebears, such as water pollution, disease, and a phenomenon known as “bleaching,” in which coral can lose their color and perish due to rising ocean temperatures brought on by climate change, is even more challenging.
We must ensure that the corals we release won’t just be the next batch of casualties in the event of another bleaching outbreak or other stressor. According to Andrew Baker.
Cooper, Anderson It seems that you are attempting to hasten the process of natural selection by looking for coral species that are more resilient and able to withstand greater temperatures.
Andrew Baker: You’re completely correct.
On a boat tethered above the nursery, Professor Baker and researchers from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago are utilizing a method that enables them to make that determination in a short amount of time.
When we got there, scientists were testing which species of Elkhorn coral would survive best in warmer water by placing samples of the coral into these modified party coolers that had just been hauled to the surface. Research scientist Ross Cunning works at the Shedd Aquarium.
Accordingly, all of these many genetic strains of Elkhorn coral will naturally differ in heat tolerance, just as each of us is a unique genetic person and differs in features like height.
Cooper, Anderson Because of this, it is not necessary to assume that all Elkhorn coral is genetically identical.
Robert Cunning Right. We specifically want to look at the tiny scale individual variation among several Elkhorn corals. Then, by adding additional corals to the reef, we may utilize those corals to maximize restoration initiatives.
Additionally, researchers are attempting to create coral that is both disease- and heat-resistant. Selective breeding is the term for it.
At the University of Miami, biologist Liv Williamson works. Vasts of frozen coral sperm are present throughout her laboratory.
Cooper, Anderson This is coral sperm, then.
This coral sperm has been stored at these very low temperatures for the last year or longer, according to Liv Williamson.
Her job is comparable to that of breeders of domestic animals. She and her colleagues combine the sperm with specifically selected coral eggs to produce children that will be better able to withstand disease outbreaks and warming ocean temperatures.
Cooper, Anderson I never imagined myself posing this question. But how do coral have sex, you ask? (LAUGH)
Williamson, Liv The concept is that a reef contains all of the many colonies. To ensure that their eggs and sperm are released simultaneously so that they may mingle with the progeny of other colonies, they are all employing environmental signals.
The sexual life of coral is not very noteworthy. The majority only spawn once or twice a year after a full moon. Therefore, researchers must be prepared to collect the sperm and eggs at the ideal time.
We use extremely small mesh nets with a jar perched on top, says Liv Williamson. They then gradually ascend inside the jar. All we need to do is close the jar’s lid and carry it. It seems as if you are submerged in a snow globe. It’s incredible. To be able to witness it is really amazing.
This is where Williamson nurtures her own offspring, whom she refers to as “the coral babies.” The blue light encourages growth by simulating sunlight passing through water.
Williamson, Liv You’re now holding a brain coral baby that was born in a Miami coral colony that is believed to be disease-resistant.
Cooper, Anderson You are aware of the origins of these polyps.
Liv Williamson: In several instances, I did gather them as sperm or eggs. Or, I combined them to fertilize them—have really been there since—since birth, if you will.
Cooper, Anderson Do you feel cozy and comfortable near coral?
I do, Liv Williamson, I do. (LAUGH)
Cooper, Anderson Given that it’s not something that…
They don’t appear very friendly and fuzzy, says Liv Williamson.
Liv Williamson: I show folks photographs of coral babies. They often don’t want to see them either. But— (LAUGHTER)
They are now developing slowly on little ceramic plates. However, they could eventually be replenishing reefs by growing in underwater nurseries.
Cooper, Anderson So how old is this one?
Al—nearly he’s a year old, says Liv Williamson. In general, corals develop quite slowly. But although we’re losing these large, established colonies on the reef—some of which are thousands or even hundreds of years old—part that’s of the issue with their protection. They have grown so slowly. Their replacement is difficult.
However, because there is less coral to act as a natural buffer, many towns urgently need extra protection from the storms that have been pummeling their coasts.
Hybrid reefs are one method that researchers want to use to rehabilitate coral and provide more immediate protection along the coast. It’s a scaled-down prototype. Concrete honeycomb-shaped structures on the bottom are intended to instantly absorb wave energy. As they grew, the corals on top would provide more and more protection.
Professor Brian Haus and his colleagues at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science at the University of Miami can simulate a category five hurricane with gusts of up to 155 mph within this simulator.
The simulator can examine how well various coral species and structures deflect wave energy and shield nearby land from harm.
This hybrid reef is being created by the University of Miami for DARPA, the Pentagon’s research organization.
The Defense Department is searching for methods to defend its several military installations that are close to the ocean, like Florida’s Tyndall Air Force Base, which was wrecked by Hurricane Michael in 2018 and sustained damage of around $5 billion.
Within the next five years, DARPA intends to grant the University of Miami up to $20 million to construct a hybrid reef off the coast of Florida.
Cooper, Anderson What function does coral provide there, as opposed to just being a manufactured honeycomb structure?
Brian Haus: Placing corals on top of the structure might result in an extra 60% dissipation of wave energy, depending on the waves and other factors. They increase the surface’s friction.
Cooper, Anderson This isn’t simply a static man-made building, after all. The coral would actually cause it to grow. Would it keep expanding?
That’s one of the very interesting aspects about this, according to Brian Haus. It effectively heals itself. And it may grow back if it is damaged by a storm.
The coral for DARPA’s hybrid reef will be provided by Professors Baker and Lirman with a particular purpose in mind.
Cooper, Anderson They have high expectations for you.
Darren Baker They do, and to be honest, I believe it illustrates the scope of the issue. For instance, we already know that coral reefs will see a rise in temperature.
So, this initiative asks us to attempt to do what corals will confront in 20 to 30 years within only a five-year period, and then really go far beyond that.
Cooper, Anderson They want you to be able to identify coral that can withstand an increase in water temperature of two degrees Celsius within the next five years, then, right?
That’s correct, Andrew Baker. temperatures that are two or even three degrees Celsius warmer.
Cooper, Anderson Were you taken aback when DARPA expressed an interest in your work?
We were taken aback by the fact that the Department of Defense was the first organization to ask the community as a whole, “Hey, you guys, why don’t you think big?
DARPA recently gave Rutgers University contracts to build a hybrid reef using oysters rather than coral. furthermore to the University of Hawaii, which is creating a distinct coral and material structure.
And DARPA isn’t the only government organization doing anything. Seven famous reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are being restored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration using coral from nurseries.
As Diego Lirman and his colleagues discovered after Hurricane Irma’s impact on Florida in 2017, there are numerous possible barriers to recovering coral reefs.
It was a significant setback, said Diego Lirman. 90% of the corals that we had been cultivating for a decade were lost to us.
Wow, Anderson Cooper.
Diego Lirman: It was a significant setback. However, we also swiftly rebuilt.
A significant hurricane is something that nobody can really prevent. The fact that this cannot be done on the scale required is likely the largest objection to repairing or developing hybrid reefs.
Some individuals believe that addressing climate change will only be as effective as spitting into the ocean. Anderson Cooper:
We often hear that, Andrew Baker. But if we don’t handle this issue of sustaining coral resilience while we deal with some of these more significant social issues, we won’t have any coral reefs left when we finally solve this other issue.
Cooper, Anderson Will you be able to save the reefs if carbon emissions aren’t meaningfully reduced to combat climate change?
Francisco Lirman Without a doubt. Our catchphrase is “We’re buying time.”
Cooper, Anderson According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 99% of the world’s coral reefs may be permanently in the next 30 years if global temperature increases by two degrees Celsius. That is a fairly dismal evaluation, I suppose.
Darren Baker That’s accurate. In light of this, coral reefs are likely to be the first global ecosystem that we lose as a consequence of climate change. We thus don’t have any time to waste.