Global Warming
Researchers are also looking to the Flower Gardens with hopes of understanding the effects of global warming on corals around the world. Even though corals thrive in warm, clear, tropical waters they are sensitive to changes in water temperatures. Water temperatures in certain areas have warmed to damaging levels. Some scientists believe higher temperatures are causing a decline in coral reef growth.
Scientists plan to use the Gardens as a control gauge to better understand those other corals, because the Flower Gardens seem to be relatively healthy. They will compare the histories of other reefs to the Flower Garden's histories. And since the Flower Gardens are still healthy, and researchers can reconstruct records of the temperature, and possibly pollutants, they will use that to better understand what's hurting reefs in Florida and in other areas.
The corals at the Flower Gardens are very sensitive to changes in the climate because they are living just on the edge of their natural environmental conditions. That means that scientists can more clearly see changes there. And that makes the Flower Gardens an ideal place for research.