Publication Date May 4, 2016 | Washington Post

The biggest coral reef in the continental US is dissolving into the ocean

Australia
Photo: Ramesh Kumar, Flickr
Photo: Ramesh Kumar, Flickr

The long-suffering Florida coral reef tract — the largest reef in the continental U.S. and third-largest barrier reef ecosystem in the world — may have bigger problems than anyone thought, according to new research from the University of Miami and Florida International University. Scientists have discovered that part of the reef is actually dissolving into the water, likely thanks to the effects of human-induced ocean acidification