Coral reefs in Florida have been experiencing extreme levels of heat stress unrecorded before. Coral reefs in Florida have lost about 90% of their corals in the last 40 years. The Florida keys in particular are at a severe level for coral bleaching and, likely, mortality rate amongst coral. When coral reefs bleach and die, the ecosystem is affected heavily.

Coral bleaching is the process that occurs when corals are distressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, sustenance, or light, they throw out the algae that gives them their color, helps them, and lives in their body. This is what gives them their white color after they bleach. A coral is actually not dead after it bleaches. It can survive, but it is under far more stress than regular corals, and more likely to die.

The highest ocean temperature recorded in Florida was 101 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average is 80, which is likely why Florida is at risk. The first mass global coral bleaching events were recorded in 1998 and 2010, and in Florida, it has been recorded since the 1980’s.

Many fishes depend on coral reefs for food, breeding grounds, and shelter, so when coral reefs bleach and die, the entire ecosystem is affected by it. When corals die, the entire reef is affected, as there is less of everything to go around. Once this happens, some species of fish may move out, disrupting the food chain, and since coral bleaching is happening more often, more food chains and ecosystems are disrupted. If there were no coral reefs in the world, about 25% of all marine life would lose their shelter, breeding grounds, and food.