More recently, during 1993-1994, an El Nino warm water event was implicated in the bleaching of corals and eventually the death of many corals. Nevertheless, the coral populations at Fagatele Bay appear to be recovering as they have in the past. You can learn more about the coral reef at Fagatele Bay in the research feature. This extensive area is one of the most heavily visited reef systems in the world. Just north of the Florida Keys is the city of Miami, that is surrounded by expanding suburbs and large areas of agriculture.
Divers use a quadrat to quantify cover of reef benthic organisms.
Monitoring efforts in the Florida Keys prior to establishment of the sanctuary revealed a disturbing trend of decreasing coral cover and diversity. With the establishment of the sanctuary and with the public's growing concern for the trends being observed throughout South Florida, a large scale, long-term monitoring program was established in 1996 to detect changes in the entire South Florida ecosystem including coral reefs and seagrasses. Along with monitoring the natural resources, the program tracks critical parameters that affect coral reefs and their associated ecosystems. This program is primarily funded by the Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the state of Florida. In 1997, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary instituted their final management plan.