NOT THAT WE’RE TOO SURPRISED ABOUT THAT. SANELA?
>> BETTY, THANK YOU.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
PANDEMIC, A NEW EXPERIMENT
LAUNCHED HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA
THAT BROUGHT JOY AND PEACE TO
MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD WHO
WERE LOCKED DOWN IN THEIR M HO
-- HOMES.
>> IT’S AN UNDERWATER WEB CAM
THAT SCIENTISTS NOW BELIEVE
MAY HOLD THE KEY TO SAVES
DYING REEFS.
NOT JUST HERE IN FLORIDA, BUT
AROUND THE WORLD.
HERE’S LOCAL 10 ENVIRONMENTAL
ADVOCATE LOUIS AGUIRRE WITH
TONIGHT’S DON’T TRASH OUR
TREASURE.
>> MIAMI IS THE MAGIC CITY.
THE MAGIC IS EVERYWHERE.
>> AN UNDERWATER SYMPHONY OF
LIFE THROUGH THE LENS OF THE
CORAL CITY WEB CAM.
>> YOU CAN’T GET MORE MIAMI
THAN THIS.
>> THIS HYBRID ART SCIENCE
RESEARCH PROJECT, THE BRAIN
CHILD OF COLLIN FORD AND HIS
PARTNER.
BACK IN FEBRUARY OF 2020, THE
TEAM STRATEGICALLY PLACED AN
UNDERWATER LIVE STREAM CAMERA
AT A CORAL REEF ALONG THE
SHORELINE AT THE EAST END OF
PORT MIAMI THAT THE WORLD
WOULD SOON DISCOVER WAS
TEEMING WITH LIFE.
>> WE’VE SEEN OVER 185 SPECIES
OF FISH AND WE SEE MANATEES
ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY, LEMON
SHARKS EVERY DAY.
WE’VE SEEN SEA BIRDS, SEA
TURTLES, OCTOPUS, SQUID.
>> PLAYFUL DOLPHINS, AT LEAST
A DOZEN DIFFERENT SPECIES OF
SHARKS AND RAYS.
AND 22 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF
CORALS IN COUNTING.
>> FIVE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF
BRAIN CORALS.
PRETTY MUCH JUST ABOUT ALL THE
SPECIES THAT YOU’D FIND
OFFSHORE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
PIONEER HERE.
>> FLORIDA’S REEF TRACK IS THE
THIRD LARNLEST REEF SYSTEM IN
THE WORLD, RAPIDLY
DISAPPEARING THOUGH BECAUSE OF
CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISEASE.
>> SADLY, IT IS ALSO ONE OF
THE MOST UNHEALTHY AND
DEGRADED CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS
IN THE WORLD.
>> THE RESILIENCY OF THESE
URBAN CORALS IS NOW DRIVE INGIN
HIS RESEARCH.
>> TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND HOW
THESE CORALS ARE ABLE TO
SURVIVE SO CLOSE TO THE CITY
WITH ALL OF THE SOURCES OF
POLLUTION, THE EXTREMES IN
TEMPERATURE.
YET THE CORALS HERE SEEM TO BE
THRIVING EVEN BETTER HERE THAN
THEY ARE IN THE NATIONAL PARK.
>> JUST YESTERDAY, 15 COLONIES
OF CORAL FROM THE STAR ISLAND
SEA WALL COLLAPSE WERE
TRANSPLANTED HERE.
>> SO FAR, THEY’RE LOOKING
GREAT.
THE FIRST SEVERAL DAYS AFTER
TRANSPORTATION ARE KIND OF THE
MOST CRITICAL.
YOU’RE DEALING WITH A CORAL
THAT’S HAVING TO ADAPT AND
ACCLIMATE.
>> SOME OF THE RESIDENTS HAVE
ALSO COME BY TO SAY HELLO.
ALL IDENTIFIABLE BY MARKINGS
AND UNIQUE TRAITS.
>> THEY ACTUALLY DO LIVE HERE.
IT IS LIKE A CITY.
>> THESE CORALS WILL RECEIVE
THE REEFS OFFSHORE.
>> IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND
HOW CORALS ARE GOING TO BE
ADAPTING GLOBALLY IN THE
FUTURE, YOU COME AND YOU LOOK
AT MIAMI TODAY.
>> PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THE
CORAL CITY WEB CAM ALL AROUND
THE WORLD.
THE DIE HARDS ARE CALLED CORAL
HEADS.
THE CORAL CAM’S YouTube
CHANNEL LOGS ABOUT 2 MINUTES
OF WATCHING EVERY MONTH.
FOR MORE INFO, CLICK ON THE QR
CODE ON YOUR SCREEN.
IT WILL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT TO
THE DON’T TRASH OUR TREASURE
SECTION ON Local10.com.
IN THE NEWSROOM, I’M LOUIS
AGUIRRE, LOCAL 10 NEWS.
>> JEALOUS OF LOUIS’
ASSIGNMENT.
>> I’M JUST GETTING THE QR
CODE BECAUSE I’M HERE FOR
THIS. FIRST OF ALL, HAD NO
IDEA.
SECOND OF ALL, SUCH VIVID
IMAGERY THERE.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE
MANATEE’S NAME WAS.