Susan Milius
Source: ScienceNews [1]
February 4, 2010

Rough weather is slowing efforts to survey the extent of Florida's first cold-weather coral bleaching event in 33 years. But reports so far find heavy damage in parts of reefs near shore.

A cold snap in January stressed corals in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary so much that many lost their colorful, live-in algal partners and turned bleached white, according to reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Corals sometimes recover, but divers are already reporting dead patches from the event.

Cold bleachings in this region are very unusual, says Billy Causey, Southeast regional director of NOAA's marine sanctuary office. "It's a benchmark event for us."

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