VOA科学技术2023--Scientists Work to Save Florida Reefs

Scientists Work to Save Florida Reefs

Several organizations are racing¹ to save the reef that runs along the Florida Keys.

A summer heat wave has already led to historic coral bleaching³. Coral bleaching is the process by which coral becomes white because of high water temperatures or pollution.

Up and down the islands that form the Florida Keys, coral rescue groups, universities and the government are working to save the coral. Experts say the bleaching event threatens the health of the third-largest reef area in the world. They have been working long days for many weeks to get as much coral as they can onto land.

In mid-July, water surface temperatures averaged 33 degrees Celsius⁴ off the lower Florida Keys. That is well above the average of 29.5 degrees, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁵ Administration, or NOAA.

The hot water resulted in nearly 100 percent bleaching along some parts of the reef. The bleaching caused the corals to lose their zooxanthellae. That is the algae⁶ that gives them color and nutrition. If they do not recover their zooxanthellae, they will die.

"We're already seeing not just bleaching, but actual coral death out on the reef because the temperatures were so hot," said Cynthia Lewis. She is director of the Keys Marine⁷ Lab, a research institute on the island of Long Key, about 160 kilometers south of Miami.

In Miami, rescue groups have already brought more than 1,500 pieces of coral.

Coral bleaching happens naturally when waters warm greatly. It happened in 2016 in the Florida Keys. But Lewis said the current situation is urgent for coral, which is very important to Florida's economy, coastal⁸ protection and marine life.

Recent cloudy and rainy days helped lower water temperatures slightly. But it will likely be late October or November before the coral samples can be returned to the reef, Lewis said.

The Florida Coral Reef stretches about 563 kilometers from the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf⁹ of Mexico to St. Lucie Inlet, about 185 kilometers north of Miami.

The reef is a first line of defense¹⁰ against coastal erosion and flooding from storms, Lewis said. It helps support fishing and the tourism industry. Coral also contains "such an amazing amount of diversity and life" in the ocean around them, Lewis added.

Reef Renewal¹¹ is a group that has worked to move endangered coral into land-based centers. More recently, the group has worked to save coral in several of their own underwater facilities in shallower water by moving them to deeper, cooler water.

Reef Renewal founder¹² Ken¹³ Nedimyer called the coral bleaching "hard to watch and hard to experience." He said his group knew that coral stress would increase under climate change. But he and others did not think it would happen so soon.

Back at the Keys Marine Lab on Long Key, the collected pieces of coral are put in cooling containers that hold between 40 and 400 gallons of seawater. The 29-degree water makes for "much happier coral," said marine biologist Emily Becker.

The work goes beyond saving the coral. Becker and others are studying different kinds of coral to see which ones survive temperature stress and disease better. They hope to "build a better reef with more resilient corals," she said.

Scientists from the University of Miami have created a research site off of Key Biscayne to do such work.

Jamison Gove is the co-writer of a new article in Nature about how Hawaii coral reefs survived a 2015 ocean heat wave.

The oceanographer said reefs that returned best after Hawaii's heat wave were those that had both the most fish and the least sewage. But he said local efforts will not save reefs if people do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions¹⁵.

Words in This Story

bleach² — n. whiten by exposure to sunlight or by a chemical process.

erosion — n. the gradual destruction of something by natural forces

tourism — n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure

diversity — n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc.

facility — n. something that is built for a specific purpose

stress — n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.

resilient — adj. able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens

sewage — n. waste material that is carried away from homes and other buildings in a system of pipes

emission¹⁴ — n. the act of producing or sending out something from a source

1 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

2 bleach   

vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂

参考例句：

• These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
• Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗？

3 bleaching   

漂白法，漂白

参考例句：

• Moderately weathered rock showed more intense bleaching and fissuring in the feldspars. 中等风化岩石则是指长石有更为强烈的变白现象和裂纹现象。
• Bleaching effects are very strong and show on air photos. 退色效应非常强烈，并且反映在航空象片上。

4 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

5 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

6 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

9 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

12 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

13 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

14 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

15 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。