A new study by scientists investigating the impact of 2023’s record-breaking marine heatwave on Florida’s coral reef has revealed that the event drove two of the area’s key coral species to functional extinction. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The corals in question are the staghorn ( Acropora cervicornis ) and elkhorn ( Acropora palmata ), two species that form a significant part of reefs in both Florida and the Caribbean, providing a habitat for a diverse range of marine life and protection for coastlines. However, even before the heatwave, it’s safe to say their situation was already pretty dire.

“Even before the 2023 marine heat wave, staghorn and elkhorn numbers had been dwindling, with punctuated declines

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