Florida’s coral reefs are dying off at a faster rate than they can grow, a trend that scientists warn is expected to accelerate across much of the Caribbean.
A recent study published in Nature examined more than 400 coral reefs across the Atlantic, including in the Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists predicted that within two decades more than 70 percent of reefs in the tropical western Atlantic will fall into net erosion, meaning they lose more of their structure than they create.
The study warns that sea-level rise and reef erosion are occurring simultaneously, increasing water depth over reefs and weakening their ability to protect coasts.
If the planet warms more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures, 99 percent of the reefs in the region will be in net erosion by 2100, the study found. Global temperatures are about 1.3 degrees higher than before the industrial era.
