shallow dives in SE Florida or Keys

[FullThrottle]

I started diving the keys in the early 70's the change to the reefs has been catastrophic in one generation. I apologize for not giving credit for the photo but I forgot where I got it.View attachment 530935

Strangely, Carysfort reef is known for it's fields of elkhorn coral, not staghorn. Where are those pictures from?

 

[CajunDiva]

Both. I am going to trust both.

The Race to Save Our Reefs

 

[tarponchik]

Nitrogen comes mostly from human waste and fertilizers. But my guess is excess nitrogen should cause algae overgrowth in the 1st place, like I've seen around Curacao and Bonaire.

 

[FullThrottle]

Algae overgrowth in the keys isn't from fertilizers and septic systems there are being phased out. There was a massive urchin die off that caused a lot of algae overgrowth throughout the Caribbean basin but the urchins are coming back now.

Diadema antillarum - Wikipedia

 

[tarponchik]

Algae overgrowth in the keys isn't from fertilizers and septic systems there are being phased out. There was a massive urchin die off that caused a lot of algae overgrowth throughout the Caribbean basin but the urchins are coming back now.

Diadema antillarum - Wikipedia

Come on, this was in the 80's.

 

[FullThrottle]

Come on, this was in the 80's.

Read the article; only recently are some areas recovering since it took a while for the urchin population to recover. The point is that algae overgrowth that was initially attributed to pollution in the keys turned out to be the result of an urchin disease that wiped out 97% of the algae eating urchins, but they're back on the job now...
By the way, I haven't seen any algae overgrowth in the Keys, and I've been diving there frequently, however there were reports of it at Carysfort many years back, but none recently that I'm aware of. It appears that it was an entirely natural cycle which has corrected itself.

 

[Trigger-F]

Miami-Dade's leaky pipes: More than 47 million gallons of waste spilled in past two years

Human pathogen killing corals in the Florida Keys

""When we identified Serratia marcescens as the cause of white pox, we could only speculate that human waste was the source of the pathogen because the bacterium is also found in the waste of other animals"".

 

[FullThrottle]

A sewer system to replace septics in the keys was mandated back in 1999 and is now almost complete.
As for the "human pathogen..." article, it was published in 2011.
Crisis averted.

Wastewater | Monroe County, FL - Official Website

 

[Trigger-F]

Crisis averted? Most of the Elkhorn/Staghorn corals in the Keys have perished. Now, a new disease is moving South killing LPS and brain coral(it was first discovered off Fisher Isl/Dade cty) where an outflow pipe broke 2 years ago. It was not repaired for a year.

The Mysterious Disease Killing Florida's Coral Reefs

""In fall 2014, it was discovered that a mysterious disease had begun affecting Miami's coral reefs. A few corals off Virginia Key displayed splotchy white patches of exposed skeleton. The tissue was dying.""

Footage Shows Sewer Line Spewing Into Water Near Miami

 

[FullThrottle]

Interesting, but no one knows yet what the pathogen actually is, or whether it's even viral or bacterial. And it was first discovered five years ago, so the Miami sewage spill is not the cause.
And luckily elkhorn and staghorn are immune. Also luckily, some colonies of susceptible species appear to be resistant.
Scientists work together to solve a coral disease mystery in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Maybe I've just been diving the right reefs, but I have yet to see any obvious evidence of the disease. I don't doubt it's existence, but I do doubt it'll end our reefs. Life is very resilient.