Coral reefs have taken a beating over the years, from record high ocean temperatures to the impact of hurricanes.
The Angari Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in West Palm Beach, Florida. This organisation supports scientists at the Perry Institute for Marine Science to study and research the impact of tropical systems on coral reefs in the Bahamas.
Studies have shown that hurricanes have short-term effects, such as strong swells that scrape off the algae that protect the coral. This makes the reefs more vulnerable to damage from the sun and sand. Long-term effects of cyclones include breaking up and burying corals, making them less hospitable to marine life. Hurricane Dorian in 2019 caused bleaching on many Bahamian reefs.
Craig Dahlgren is the executive director of the Perry Institute for Marine Science and has been on many missions to study and help preserve the reefs.
“We’re working on rebuilding the reefs in those places, and that includes reattaching corals that were broken during the storm, and then also growing corals in aquaculture nurseries and replanting them on the reefs to kind of jump start the recovery process,” Dahlgreen said.
