Bent Sea Rod Bleaching
![A colony of the soft coral known as the "bent sea rod" stands bleached on a reef off of Islamorada, Florida.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/Bent_Sea_Rod_bleaching__Key_Largo_09_2014.jpg?itok=Iu_3E6UI)
Detailed Description
A colony of the soft coral known as the "bent sea rod" stands bleached on a reef off of Islamorada, Florida. Hard and soft corals are presently bleaching- losing their symbiotic algae – all over the coral reefs of the Florida Keys due to unusually warm ocean temperatures this summer. Months with waters warmer than 85 F have become more frequent in the last several decades compared to a century ago, stressing and in some cases killing corals when temperatures remain high for too long.
Sources/Usage
Public Domain.