TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A study by Derek Manzello from Coral Reef Watch, together with the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, illustrates the negative impact of climate change on the Elkhorn and Staghorn coral ecosystems in the state of Florida, United States. Coral reef extinction from the genus Acropora is also a tangible threat across Asia, including Indonesia.
Citing a review by Earth on December 16, 2025, the field survey conducted by the researchers recorded staggering coral reef damage. Approximately 97.8 to 100 percent of the Elkhorn and Staghorn colonies in Florida vanished following a heatwave two years ago. These colonies were no longer able to form habitats that support the life of fish, lobsters, and other marine organisms.
Why Did the Coral Reefs Die Out?
The main trigger of this ecological disaster is the warming ocean that heats up the shallow-reef zones. During the summer, the water temperature along the south coast of the Atlantic in Florida remained above 32 degrees Celsius for nearly three months. This unusually long heat wave was the worst in record. Researchers found that the rise in temperature and chemical changes underwater damaged the coral reefs.
The coral died through a process called bleaching. The rise in water temperature, even by just a few degrees above the normal limit, damages the symbiosis between coral and microscopic algae. Stressed corals will expel the algae, causing them to turn white and eventually die.
Despite genetic rescue efforts being designed in laboratories, the limited potential for global temperature cooling makes the future of coral reefs increasingly bleak.
In the study by Coral Reef Watch and its partners, the authors described coral as small animals called polyps. They live in colonies and grow a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate.
As sea temperatures rise, the algae that help build coral reefs will have difficulty forming ecosystems, causing the coral to turn white. Indonesia, which is known as a coral reef haven, is also threatened by this treacherous effect of climate change.
Read: Scientists Warn Coral Reefs Near Breaking Point Amid Climate Threats