A sizzling heatwave has sent temperatures skyrocketing across much of America and pushed the oceans off the coast of Florida to nearly 100 degrees.
Millions flocked to the Sunshine State over the Fourth of July holiday weekend to bask in the sunshine, while just offshore, searing temperatures could wreak havoc on the region’s scenic coral reefs.
Scientists have warned that the “hot tub-like” conditions are disastrous for the reefs as “coral bleaching” is already destroying much of the state’s ecosystem.
The crisis has also brought renewed focus to the impact of ongoing global warming, with natural disasters and sea level rise particularly affecting coastal hotspots such as Florida.
A sunbather pictured enjoys the scorching weather in Miami Beach, Florida, where sea surface temperatures reach nearly 100 degrees
The heatwave caused sea surface temperatures in Florida to reach their highest levels since satellites began recording ocean data in 1985.
And although temperatures in the region regularly soar as summer begins, experts warn reefs are at greater risk than ever as the heatwave hits earlier and likely longer this year.
“We didn’t anticipate that this warming would happen so early in the year and be so extreme,” Derek Manzello, coordinator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch, told CNN.
“Ocean warming is getting worse, bleaching events are becoming more frequent, so it’s really an existential crisis for coral reefs as we know them.”
“This appears to be unprecedented in our records.”
The “unprecedented” heat wave was particularly devastating to coral life and had similarly devastating effects in other parts of the world, such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
The problem arises when reefs are eroded by high temperatures for too long, leading to a “bleaching” process that ultimately leads to coral death.
The condition is causing the reefs to displace their food source of algae, causing their vibrant color to fade while the corals slowly starve.
Last year, a shocking NOAA study found that over 70 percent of Florida’s coral reefs had been eroded by climate-related coral bleaching and disease.
Scientists warn rising temperatures could destroy coral reefs. Pictured: A healthy reef with bright colors
When coral reefs are bleached, they displace their food source from algae and slowly starve, which also fades their color
Although bleaching is not always fatal to coral reefs, it gets worse the longer it lasts, and it takes as little as 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit too high for bleaching to occur.
According to Manzello, sea temperatures in Florida have been more than 2 degrees Celsius above average for almost two weeks.
However, he cautioned that waters in the area typically don’t peak until August or September, meaning Florida’s coral crisis will intensify as the summer progresses.
He added that the impact could be “significant and severe” and large amounts of coral could die off in a month.
“All the evidence currently points to this being one of the more serious events we have seen,” Manzello said.
The process was explained by TikTok creator Mike’s Weather Page, who also warned that Atlantic temperatures are already warming.
Bikini-clad beach-goers pictured on Panama City Beach, Florida, in March
A fearsome shark was sighted in the waters off Navarre Beach, Fla., on July 3 as rising temperatures continue to cause beachgoers to flock to shores
While the reef expert warned of things to come, Katey Lesneski, a NOAA expert working to restore Florida’s lost coral reefs, said she is already seeing the impact.
“The corals look a lot lighter in color, they’re usually pretty rich yellows and greens and browns and oranges, but they literally look like someone threw bleach at them,” she told CNN.
“From an ecological perspective alone, about 25% of marine species depend on coral reefs at some point in their lives,” Lesneski said.
“That’s everything from the pretty fish that people like to look at to the big game fish…these fish get their start and eventually become heavily dependent on other components of the reef.”
Millions of people in states like Arizona are currently under heat warnings after a peer-reviewed publication warned that as little as two days without power in Phoenix, which is currently bearing the brunt of the weather phenomenon, could kill nearly 13,000 people
Florida is not alone in battling the rampant heat wave currently sweeping parts of America from New York to California.
In the southwest, over 50 million people were exposed to extreme temperatures on Wednesday as forecasters warned the heat could reach 120 degrees in some areas.
The temperatures are the result of an extensive area of high pressure that covered the Four Corners, often referred to by experts as a “heat dome.”
Authorities fear the heatwave could wreak havoc on the region’s already unreliable power grid, leaving thousands dead for two days without power.
This was of particular concern in Arizona, as forecasters warned the state could be in the midst of the longest, hottest heat wave on record.