MAST Academy hosted guest speaker Dr. Margaret Miller on Friday afternoon, who wanted to open up a discussion about saving coral reefs.
Starting out as a biology and math major, Dr. Miller went on to get her Ph.D. in Marine Ecology and currently serves as the research director for SECORE International.
Dr. Miller opened up her discussion on saving corals with information on how temperature causes corals to bleach.
“The beaches are starting to feel like hot tubs,” Dr. Miller said when discussing how Florida corals are facing a Degree Heating Week (DHW) of 11-16.
Corals are generally in waters that are around 30 degrees Celsius, however Florida’s waters have been near the 40 degrees Celsius. Such dramatic temperatures are the main cause of coral bleaching, which is when corals turn white due to the stress of their environment.
“This is way beyond icky for the corals, it is dangerous,” Dr. Miller said.
Although the restoration of corals is an immense task, Dr. Miller has hope for the future of coral populations.
One solution Dr. Miller brings up is to create more corals, as corals produce many eggs and sperm that allow for genetic adaptations over time. Furthermore, Dr. Miller brings up the importance of people in the effort of saving corals.
“If we want to fix these problems, we need to use our voices and speak to the people that can change the laws,” Dr. Miller said.
