Miami Scientists Move Coral Ashore to Escape Heat

Elkhorn coral was once a major reef-builder, but heat waves in 2023 and 2024 killed most wild colonies along Florida's coast, from Broward County to the Keys. So few survive that they can no longer reproduce naturally in the wild. This year the water has warmed even faster, and NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has raised its bleaching warning. Not every team is bringing coral ashore, however. Andrew Baker's laboratory has left "Flonduran" coral, elkhorn cross-bred with heat-tolerant relatives from Honduras, on the reef to test how well it survives.

The stakes are high, because reefs support fishing, protect coastlines from storms, and attract tourists. To organise the work, NOAA has given the university a four-year, 16-million-dollar grant covering ten groups. Several are rushing to save the last wild "Founders", which hold the coral's genetic variety. The timing is tricky: many corals will spawn in early August, so moving them too early could disrupt breeding. Meanwhile, promised state funding has been cut, leaving groups short of money.