These new buoys are monitoring vital coral reef deterioration in Florida Keys
As hurricanes, tropical storms and severe weather brush the Florida Keys, scientists will also be able to see how these storms affect coral reefs as they hit.
FILE: NOAA scientists restore coral reefs to strengthen natural hurricane defenses
FOX Weather Meteorologist Steve Bender visits Florida to learn how coral reefs serve as a natural barrier from hurricane wave impacts.
FLORIDA KEYS, Fla. - Scientists are monitoring the impacts of ocean acidification on vital, colorful coral reefs in the Florida Keys by using a new series of buoys.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has unveiled new ocean instruments that are essential in monitoring vital reefs within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
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A new study — which involves NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences — says scientists have deployed Sofar "Spotter" buoys at four of the seven Mission: Iconic Reef sites identified as essential for restoration.
The Sofar Spotter buoy floats at the surface monitoring ocean conditions with a protected data cable running to the seabed. The bristlemouth development kit (center) receives pH and temperature data from the SAMI-pH sensor (bottom left). (NOAA)
That study reveals that there are variations in how acidification progresses across the Florida Keys, and some sites in the Upper Keys may act as a refuge able to alleviate pH levels — potentially due to the higher abundance of seagrass beds and other deep ocean communities.
Higher pH levels in the ocean, or ocean acidification, reduces carbonate ion availability, which makes it harder for shellfish and corals to build skeletons. This can harm ecosystems by decreasing marine life metabolism, immune response and sensory abilities, NOAA said.
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The buoys seen at the surface measure wave energy, wind speed, sea surface temperature and pressure. Below the surface, integrated sensors measure pH and seafloor temperature in near-real time.
A new series of ocean instruments is monitoring vital reefs within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). (NOAA)
Ocean acidification is impacting the integrity and hard, calcium carbonate structure that comprises entire coral reefs. A decrease in pH across marine ecosystems accelerates the erosion of reefs and decreases their ability to grow, or calcify.
These threats contribute to the loss of crucial habitat that provides shelter to the highest concentration of marine biodiversity in the popular tourist destination.
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The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary consists of 350 miles of the only North American barrier reef — the Florida Coral Reef — which stretches from the Dry Tortugas to Port St. Lucie.
Dive teams deploy the integrated instrument system at Horseshoe Reef in Key Largo, Florida. (NOAA / FOX Weather)
Roughly five million visitors travel to the Florida Keys every year, where 54% of jobs are tied directly to the marine ecosystems, according to NOAA.
The project Mission: Iconic Reefs was launched in 2019 to restore seven strategically-selected reefs covering three million square feet — equivalent to 52 football fields — within the Florida Keys to self-sustaining levels over 20 years.
But as ocean acification and other environmental stressors threaten the ecosystem, the need to monitor changing ocean conditions has become more essential.
NOAA said collecting and transmitting data below the surface has always been a challenge because current methodologies are often limited due to the need for heavy machinery, highly-trained personnel and large vessels. This, in turn, results in costly and time-consuming field operations.
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The vessel remains the world’s third-largest ship ever intentionally sank to become an artificial reef. The popular Florida Keys dive site also attracts thousands of wreck-certified divers each year.
But with these new Sofar buoys, scientists can now actively see how conditions fluctuate and monitor instrument functionality in real-time. The four reef sites getting these buoys are Carysfort, Horseshoe, Cheeca Rocks and Sombrero Reefs, NOAA said.
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Scientists are integrating a Sami-pH logger at the base of each buoy, using a colorimetric system where seawater enters the device — comprised of micro pumps, injector valves and reaction cells — and undergoes a chemical reaction when exposed to reactants.
The seven Mission: Iconic Reefs (M:IR) within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). (NOAA / FOX Weather)
The reaction changes the color of water and produces a pH reading, which is then automated in an online system that provides a high-resolution pH measurement of a reef in near-real time.
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"With this new system, we can detect issues when they happen, so we can ensure instrument performance and respond accordingly," Ian Enochs, principal investigator of AOML's Coral Program, said.
Taylor Gill maintains sensors as the Sami pH (bottom left) logger actively measures changes in ocean pH. (NOAA / FOX Weather)
As hurricanes, tropical storms and severe weather brush the Florida Keys, scientists will also be able to see how these storms affect coral reefs as they hit — and whether they provide relief when water temperatures are peaking or exacerbate the impacts of other stressors.
You can explore the live Mission: Iconic Reefs environmental monitoring application by clicking here.