Climate Cafe Series: The Future of Florida's Coral Reef

Researchers and community members gather in Miami for a conversation on the challenges and innovations shaping the survival of Florida’s Coral Reef.

Climate Café Series: The Future of Florida’s Coral Reef takes place Wednesday, October 29 at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, with an option to join via Zoom. Moderated by WLRN environment reporter Jenny Staletovich, the session highlights efforts to protect an ecosystem under stress from warming seas, disease and pollution.

Featured speakers include Andrew Baker, Ph.D., Director of the Coral Reef Futures Lab; Michael Studivan, Ph.D., Associate Scientist at UM’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS); and Ana Palacio, Ph.D., Associate Scientist at CIMAS. Presentations will explore cutting-edge strategies such as cross-breeding Florida and Honduran elkhorn corals to improve resilience, using microbes to help baby corals resist bleaching and studying “urban corals” thriving in extreme environments like the Port of Miami.

The discussion also addresses broader threats, ocean acidification, hypoxia, algal blooms, warming and nutrient overload, and how scientific research is shaping coral restoration, fisheries management and water quality initiatives in South Florida.