An underwater camera at a Miami reef attracts millions of viewers

A camera installed underwater off the coast of Miami has captured the attention of millions of people around the world, showcasing in real time the life of a coral reef that survives—and in many cases thrives—amid one of the busiest ports on the planet.

The project, known as Coral City Camera, has been continuously streaming a live image of the coral ecosystem located in Biscayne Bay since 2019.

The initiative, conceived by marine biologist Colin Foord, has surpassed 3.7 million views on YouTube, becoming a sort of "outdoor aquarium" that connects science, art, and environmental awareness, as reported by the U.S. media NPR.

The camera was installed in a very busy channel of the Port of Miami, about 150 feet from the cruise and recreational boat passage.

From there, one can observe an astonishing variety of species: around 20 different types of stony corals, tropical fish, squid, and even sharks.

Frequent viewers have come to recognize specific individuals such as “Lisa, the lemon shark with a Mona Lisa smile,” emphasized NPR.

The site broadcasts live 24 hours a day and has volunteer moderators who alert the audience about interesting sightings, ranging from manatees to uncommon marine creatures.

The project has revealed something even more remarkable: the resilience of these so-called "urban corals."

During the year 2023, when high ocean temperatures triggered mass bleaching events and coral mortality worldwide, the corals in this enclave of Miami were hardly affected.

Using daily video captures, Foord has created what is considered the longest underwater time-lapse in the world, documenting both the death and regeneration of corals during the climatic event.

This information has caught the attention of the NOAA, the scientific agency of the U.S. government, which is now studying these organisms for their genetic potential to withstand climate change.

“Not only do they survive where other species die, but they could help us restore more resilient reefs in the future,” explained ecologist Ian Enochs from NOAA.

Foord and his team at Coral Morphologic, a laboratory that merges science and art, are working on the reproduction of these resilient corals under controlled conditions.

Using simulations of solar and lunar cycles, they aim to induce spawning and then transplant the juvenile corals to new reef areas, including a seven-mile-long artificial reef project near Miami Beach that will be implemented this summer.

"We want people to fall in love with corals, to see them as something fascinating and worthy of protection," says Foord. And for millions of people who have peered into this underwater window, it seems to be working.

The massive mortality of the species Acropora palmata, one of the most important from an ecological standpoint due to its role in coral reef formation, was confirmed last August in the Granma National Park.

The Eastern Center for Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Bioeco), based in Santiago de Cuba, confirmed via Facebook that its specialists, along with technicians from the area, documented the tragic event during a recent monitoring.

In 2023, Cuban scientists eliminated the first occurrence in the country of Unomia stolonifera, an invasive species of white coral, which was discovered in September 2022 in the Bacuranao cove, in the east of Havana.

The species, which scientists believe may have arrived in Cuba from Venezuela, was only confined to a square meter of the bucket wall, at a depth of 11 meters, fixed on a layer of incrusting red calcareous algae, according to a scientific study cited by the Cuban Network of Science (Redcien).

However, the study and conservation of corals has been a major concern for the regime, although it has acknowledged that it has limited resources to carry out that scientific activity.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Coral City Camera and Coral Resilience in Miami