Fate of South Florida corals uncertain as water heats up

From an article by Vytenis Didziulis in the Miami Herald:

Under the turquoise waters in Biscayne National Park, a story of promise or demise is brewing.

About a mile from the rusted steel slabs of the Mandalay -- a shipwrecked Windjammer cruises sailboat parked on the ocean floor -- Elkhorn corals have latched onto the reef and started to reproduce.

Once a prevalent reef builder in South Florida, the dulce de leche-colored Elkhorn corals were reduced to about 3 percent of their historic population in 2005 by tropical storms, disease, irresponsible boating practices and climate change.

Now, Elkhorn are ``coming back like gang-busters,'' according to Richard Curry, chief scientist at Biscayne National Park.

But if weather forecasters are correct, this recovery may soon melt away under the summer heat -- possibly in tragic proportions.