ABOVE: Study coauthor Brain Lapointe analyzes bleached coral on Looe Key reef.
BRIAN LAPOINTE/FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY
A30-year study suggests that pollution may pose a more imminent threat to struggling coral reefs than waters warmed by climate change. The research points to excess nitrogen from topsoil runoff and inadequately treated sewage as the main driver of coral death in Florida’s Looe Key reef, researchers reported July 15 in Marine Biology.
“The good news is that we can do something about the nitrogen problem, such as better sewage treatment, reducing fertilizer inputs, and increasing storage and treatment of stormwater on the Florida mainland,” says coauthor Brain Lapointe, a marine scientist at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, in an interview with The Miami Herald.
Looe Key reef lies in the southernmost reaches of the Florida Keys and hosts a diverse collection of marine life, including parrotfish, barracuda, and butterfly fish. Coral once ...
