Looe Key Reef Post-Irma

What does a coral reef look like after a major hurricane?  About six weeks post-Irma, Dr. Lapointe dove at Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to find out.  At Looe Key reef Brian found fine turbidity in the water, which made it appear cloudy, and high chlorophyll a levels that gave the water a green tinge.  There was sediment deposited on the reef biota and many coral heads were split apart.  Brian will continue to dive at Looe Key as often as possible to keep a watchful eye on the reef.   The lab is hard at work writing up a research article that compiles thirty years of Brian's Looe Key monitoring data, so stay tuned for that near the end of 2018.