Coral reef off Florida damaged by dredging, says study

New York Times : Recent damage to the only coral reef in the continental US, located off South Florida, has become the subject of controversy following a large-scale dredging project undertaken by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Although the corps blamed white plague disease, a virus that bleaches and kills coral, a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says instead that the damage was caused by the dredging, which stirred up plumes of sediment that then buried and suffocated the reef sections nearest the dredging site. The project was carried out to deepen the port of Miami to accommodate modern freighters. Even before the dredging began, as much as 80–90% of the reef had already died or been damaged because of other factors, including fluctuating ocean temperatures, acidification, sewage, pollution, and white plague. Besides being important to marine biodiversity, coral reefs help protect the shoreline from hurricane damage. The issue is regaining momentum as Fort Lauderdale seeks final approval of the dredging of its own port, one of the largest in the US.