Katey Lesneski, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary:
Yes, thanks, William, for having me on today to talk about this important and timely issue.
So I work on the reefs as many days as we can get out there. And I have been out over the last several days. And, immediately, when you jump into the water, it feels like you are in a hot tub. Fortunately, the waters on the reefs here are not at 100. They're in the low 90s. That 100-degree temperature was taken in a shallow landlocked area.
But we are still seeing temperature records being shattered. And that has direct impact on all of the amazing life on the reefs, including the coral reefs. And what I'm seeing right now are stark white corals that are undergoing what we call bleaching, which, if corals can't recover, can lead to their pretty immediate death.
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