Prolonged exposure to temperatures is a Death Knell to a Keystone species

Prolonged exposure to Temperatures above 84 degrees Fahrenheit spells disaster for any surviving corals in the Gulf of Mexico, but especially all along the Texas and Florida coasts.

I always thought Texans and Floridians prided themselves on their close attachment to the Ocean and life in it, especially with all the charter fishing boats and tour boats, dive shops, and the thousands of those maddening, irritating gift shops lining the streets near the beach access points.

The tourist industry, deep-sea fishing boats, dive shops, and the commercial fishing industry will be most impacted by the loss of coral reefs, as coral reefs are a keystone species for a healthy seabed and ocean environment. Shrimp Boats, Scuba diving, and deep-sea fishing will be just memories. We are already seeing the decline in revenue derived from the ocean. Global Warming is killing the Corals that so many Floridians depend on for a living.

Take a moment and digest the following data. While nearly 84% of the world's coral reefs have been hit by recent severe global marine heatwaves, the impact on the Gulf of Mexico varies significantly by location: northern deep-water reefs have shown incredible resilience, while shallow reefs near the Florida Keys have faced near-total collapse.

The National Data Buoy Center has provided the following data sets, which represent temperatures at which Corals do not survive.

Station 42095 Satan Shoals, Florida Sea Surface Temperature 86.7 F, Tx sta TXPT2 90.9F, LA sta BKTL1 93.6F, TX sta HIST2 88.3F, TX sta RLOT2 88.3F, TX sta GTOT2 88.0F, TX sta EPTT2 88.0F, TX sta GRRT2 89.4F, TX sta MGPT2 88.3F, TX sta EMHT2 89.6F, LA sta BYGL1 88.2F, TX sta PCNT2 91.2F, TX sta RCPT2 88.5F, MS sta WYCM6 89.4F, LA sta PILL1 88.9F, TX sta LQAT2 88.5, TX sta PACT2 88.7F, TX sta TAQT2 88.0F, TX sta IRDT2 91.0F, FL sta 41122 88.0F, FL sta 42098 90.9F, FL sta KYWF1 88.0F, FL sta WPLF1 88.7F, FL sta LMRF1 89.4F, FL sta SREF1 88.5F, FL sta CNBF1 89.8F, FL sta GBIF1 89.1F, FL sta VCAF1 89.1F, FL sta MUKF1 91.0F, FL sta NRRF1 89.2F, FL sta LRIF1 90.3F, FL sta BKYF1 92.7F, FL sta GBTF1 91.6F, FL sta LRKF1 88.7F, FL sta WRBF1 88.9F, FL sta PKYF1 88.7F, FL sta TBYF1 91.6F, FL sta TRRF1 89.6F, FL sta BOBF1 89.4F, FL sta FMRF1 91.6F, FL sta LMDF1 89.1F, FL sta TCV F1 89.1F, FL sta LSNF1 88.7F, FL sta BWSF1 89.6F, FL sta HCEF1 89.2F

Already, 80 percent of the corals have bleached and died off, going extinct. None of the following temperatures can be tolerated by Coral for any length of time. That means prolonged exposure will eventually lead to death. These temperatures have existed since the 4th of July celebration of the 250 years we have been responsible for these oceans.

Our stewardship is very much lacking.

Skip Speer
Kansas City