USGS scuba diver on a coral reef in Dry Tortugas National Park
![Coral on a cinderblock and a scuba diver on a coral reef](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/full_width/public/thumbnails/image/Elkhorn%20experiment%20in%20DRTO_2-edited.jpg?itok=W4GFtFr3)
Detailed Description
The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting research to guide the recovery of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, in Dry Tortugas National Park and throughout the western Atlantic. A small Elkhorn colony, raised from a fragment collected after a storm, is shown here in the foreground after it was cemented to the reef to establish a new coral population. Elkhorn coral is a foundational species that creates large underwater ramparts that protect coastal communities from the onslaught of waves.
Learn more about USGS Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies.
Sources/Usage
Public Domain.