Reflections on Coral Reef Awareness Week

When we think about coral reefs, our minds often drift to warm tropical waters thousands of miles away. Last week during Coral Reef Awareness Week, we shared this reminder: protecting these extraordinary ecosystems begins much closer to home. While the awareness week has passed, its message is one worth carrying forward every day.

Around the world, dedicated aquarists, scientists, veterinarians, educators, volunteers, and conservation partners come together through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Coral Program with one shared purpose: securing a brighter future for coral reefs.

Behind every thriving coral in an aquarium is a team caring for living animals.

Photo Credit: JCDelbeek. California Academy of Sciences - Steinhart Aquarium.

Behind every scientific discovery is a partnership built on shared knowledge.

Photo Credit: Mote Marine Laboratory/Mote International Genebank

Behind every restored reef is a community that believes these remarkable ecosystems are worth saving.

Photo Credit: Disney Conservation

And behind every visit to your local AZA-accredited zoo or aquarium is an opportunity to become part of that story.

Photo Credit: Adventure Aquarium

Simply by visiting a SAFE Coral partner facility, you help advance research, safeguard genetically diverse coral populations, train the next generation of coral conservationists, inspire future ocean stewards, and strengthen reef restoration efforts around the world.

Coral reefs may be oceans away, but the people working to protect them are right here in our communities, welcoming guests, sharing their expertise, and demonstrating that conservation is something everyone can be part of.

Coral Reef Awareness Week provides an important opportunity to shine a spotlight on these efforts, but coral conservation doesn't happen for just one week each year. It happens every day through collaboration, innovation, education, and the collective commitment of people working together across aquariums, zoos, research institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and local communities.

Whether you visit a SAFE Coral partner this week, next month, or any time throughout the year, we encourage you to ask questions, learn something new, and celebrate the incredible people dedicated to protecting these vital ecosystems.

Because every conversation, every visit, every partnership, and every act of support helps build a future where coral reefs, and the countless species, coastal communities, and livelihoods that depend on them, can thrive.

Coral reef awareness doesn't end with a commemorative week. It begins at home and grows through the choices we make every day. Together, we can create waves of positive change that reach far beyond our shores.

Talking About Ocean Heat: Making Sea Surface Temperatures Mean Something

In collaboration with the AZA SAFE Coral Program's Communications, Education, and Messaging (CEM) Working Group who brought us TALKING CORAL, we dig into some helpful tips to turn talking about our current summer heat wave into an opportunity to talk coral conservation.

Summer is here, and with it comes the familiar conversation about the heat. We check the forecast, seek out shade, turn on the air conditioning, and remind one another to stay hydrated. Heat is something we all understand because we experience it firsthand.

But what does it mean when scientists say that sea surface temperatures are rising?

For many people, a headline that says "sea surface temperatures increased by 1°C" doesn't sound particularly alarming. After all, one degree doesn't seem like much. Yet for coral reefs, that seemingly small increase can mean the difference between thriving and struggling to survive.

The challenge for conservation isn't just collecting the science, it's communicating it in ways that people can relate to, understand, and care.

Start with What People Know

Instead of focusing first on numbers, begin with a simple truth:

The ocean absorbs much of the planet's excess heat. As more heat becomes trapped in Earth's climate system, much of it ends up in the ocean, warming surface waters and pushing many coral reefs beyond the temperatures they have evolved to tolerate.

That explanation paints a much clearer picture than simply reporting a temperature increase.

Don't Just State the Problem

Stories that focus only on loss can leave audiences feeling helpless.

Instead, balance concern with action.

Share how scientists, aquariums, conservation organizations, government agencies, and community partners are:

• Monitoring ocean temperatures and coral health

• Restoring damaged reefs

• Learning from and protecting coral populations that fare well in elevated ocean temperatures

• Reducing local stressors such as pollution and poor water quality

• Advancing coral research and conservation

People are far more likely to stay engaged when they see that solutions are already underway. and that they can be part of them.

It's Not Just About How Hot,  It's About How Long

Imagine spending one afternoon outside on a sweltering summer day. It's uncomfortable, but relief comes when the sun sets, you step into the shade, or go into an air-conditioned room.

Now imagine experiencing that same heat day after day, with no opportunity to cool down.

That's much closer to what corals experience during a marine heatwave.

Corals don't respond to the hottest single day of the year. They respond to weeks of accumulated heat stress. Scientists measure this prolonged exposure because it is sustained warming, not a brief temperature spike, that often triggers coral bleaching.

The difference is much like comparing one hot day to an entire week of dangerous heat.

Help People See the Story

Sea surface temperature maps are powerful scientific tools, but colorful maps alone can be difficult for many audiences to interpret.

Whenever possible, pair temperature maps with photographs of coral bleaching, healthy reefs, or side-by-side images showing change over time.

Seeing both the data and its ecological consequences helps people connect the science with real-world impacts.

Bring the Ocean Close to Home

Ocean warming can feel like a distant problem if it's presented only through global statistics.

Instead, connect rising temperatures to places and experiences people recognize:

• Local beaches and coastal communities (even freshwater beaches and communities!)

• Recreational fishing and fisheries

• Tourism and recreation

• Favorite snorkeling or diving destinations

• Local AZA accredited zoos and aquariums

Relatable comparisons can also help. Ask visitors to imagine being stuck outside during a heatwave without access to shade, air conditioning, or even a cool drink of water. Corals face a similar challenge. They cannot simply move to cooler water when temperatures remain high.

Communicate Confidence and Curiosity

Science is always advancing, but that doesn't mean everything is uncertain.

Lead with what scientists know with confidence:

• Sea surface temperatures are rising.

• Marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and lasting longer.

• Extended periods of unusually warm water increase the risk of coral bleaching.

Then explain where scientists continue to improve understanding, such as predicting exactly how severe bleaching can get in a particular location or how individual coral species will respond.

People tend to trust science more when both certainty and uncertainty are communicated honestly.

The Takeaway

When talking about rising sea surface temperatures, remember that your goal isn't simply to report a number, it's to tell the story behind it, to make people care.

Help audiences understand that:

• Rising sea surface temperatures are measured observations happening today. They are not distant predictions.

• Corals are stressed by weeks of accumulated heat, not simply the hottest day of the year.

• Marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and lasting longer.

• Local conservation efforts, including restoration, monitoring, reducing local stressors, and the work being done at your facility, possibly miles away from any coral reef, remain essential even as global climate change continues.

• Combining temperature data with photographs and real-world examples makes the science more meaningful and memorable.

When we connect science with what people already understand, we make ocean warming less abstract and coral conservation more personal.

And that's where meaningful conversations, and meaningful action, begin.

Rising Temperatures. Rising Together.

If you've been watching the Florida Keys over the past few weeks, you've probably found yourself refreshing the NOAA Coral Reef Watch dashboard more often than you'd like.

Unfortunately, the news isn't encouraging.

credit: https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/product/5km/index_5km_sst.php (July10, 2026)

Sea surface temperatures surrounding the Florida Keys have climbed into the 90°F (32°C) range, already exceeding the thermal thresholds known to trigger coral bleaching. NOAA has elevated bleaching alerts across portions of the Florida Reef Tract, and temperatures are increasing earlier in the summer than they did during the historic 2023 marine heatwave. Scientists are once again preparing for significant bleaching and implementing emergency response strategies to protect high-value corals and preserve genetic diversity.

For many of us, this feels painfully familiar.

In 2023, unprecedented ocean temperatures transformed vibrant reefs into ghostly white landscapes in a matter of weeks. The event became one of the most severe marine heatwaves ever recorded in the region, reshaping restoration priorities and forcing managers to move corals into deeper water or land-based facilities to save them. Those lessons are guiding today's response.

But this story isn't just about rising temperatures.

It's about rising together.

Conservation Isn't Waiting for Perfect Conditions

Across the SAFE Coral Program network, our partners have spent years working in response to moments exactly like this.

Thousands of corals are being cared for in professional aquariums, zoos, and research facilities across North America, including Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited facilities. Every day, aquarists are monitoring water quality, veterinarians are assessing coral health, researchers are refining propagation techniques, and educators are helping guests understand why they should care about these remarkable animals.

These efforts may not make national headlines, but they are exactly what conservation e looks like.

Every coral propagated...

Every new genotype safeguarded...

Every student inspired...

Every family informed...

Every successful spawning event...

Every partner willing to share data...

Together, they create a safety net for reefs facing unprecedented change.

The Florida Aquarium (Tampa, Florida) is one of six national training sites of the SAFE Coral Program's FRTRP Coral Aquarist Program. The program hosts coral aquarists from around the world, creating the conservation workforce that will ensure the future of reefs for our children and our children's children. (credit: The Florida Aquarium)

The Good News We Sometimes Forget

While heat stress is increasing, so is our collective capacity to respond.

New forecasting tools can predict bleaching risk weeks in advance, giving managers valuable time to prepare. Coral nurseries are improving methods for protecting genetically important colonies during extreme heat events. Institutions across the AZA network continue to refine husbandry, reproduction, and restoration techniques that simply didn't exist a decade ago.

This isn't false optimism.

It's measurable progress.

Conservation today is faster, more collaborative, and more informed than ever before.

What Can Someone in New Hampshire, Ohio, Arizona, or Oregon Do?

One of the most common questions we hear is:

"I don't live near a coral reef. Can I really make a difference?"

Absolutely.

Healthy reefs depend on healthy oceans, and healthy oceans connect every community in America.

Whether you live on the Atlantic coast, in the Midwest, the arid Southwest, or in the Rocky Mountains, your daily choices ripple downstream.

Butterfly Pavilion (Westminster, Colorado) : Future coral conservationists, Neela and Ryder, and their family, team up with the staff of the Butterfly Pavilion to host a "Cookies for Conservation" sale, inspired by the Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project, to raise funds for coral conservation efforts. (credit: Butterfly Pavilion)

So many things you can do:

• Plant gardens and maintain lawns that require less water to thrive

• Reduce energy use and support clean energy that helps slow ocean warming.

• Choose sustainable seafood that protects reef ecosystems.

• Reduce fertilizer use, clean up pet waste, and pick up plastic pollution that ultimately reaches our waterways.

• Support AZA aquariums, zoos, and organizations working to restore coral reefs.

• Share accurate information about coral reefs and climate impacts with friends and family.

• Encourage the next generation to care about our oceans, because tomorrow's reef scientists may currently live hundreds of miles from the coast.

  
  

Conservation has never been confined by geography.

Our Greatest Strength Is Each Other

The Florida Reef Tract is experiencing another difficult summer.

There is no way to soften that reality.

But there is another reality worth remembering.

Never before have so many institutions, scientists, aquarists, educators, veterinarians, volunteers, and conservation organizations worked together so intentionally to protect a single ecosystem.

The SAFE Coral Program exists because no one institution can save coral reefs alone.

Together, however, we are building something far more powerful than any individual restoration project.

We're building capacity.

We're building knowledge.

We're building partnerships.

And perhaps most importantly, we're building hope backed by action.

The water temperatures may be increasing, but so is the commitment of an entire community dedicated to ensuring that future generations inherit living reefs, not just stories about them.

We're excited to continue doing what this network does best: collaborating, innovating, sharing, and never giving up on the future of coral reefs.