The summer of 2023's intense heat wave led to the worst coral bleaching ever recorded on Florida's Coral Reef, and now a little over 20% of different types of coral remain in the wild. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) assessed how many distinct colonies in the population were impacted by the event. They found that 160 elkhorn coral genotypes were alive before the heatwave. After, only 37 remained, which is a loss of 77% of the genetic diversity in the coral, according to the report. Read more: https://www.wtsp.com/article/tech/science/environment/2023-marine-heatwave-elkhorn-coral-decline/67-eb7b75c0-d46e-480f-8770-2541e7faf585