This coral reef has given scientists hope for years. Now they’re worried.

This coral reef has given scientists hope for years. Now they’re worried.

A field of staghorn coral in the clear, shallow waters of Bonaire. If you plunge into the warm, blue waters of the Caribbean today, what you’ll see in most regions is actually quite bleak. Where there were once vibrant coral reefs teeming with sharks, groupers, and lobsters, there are now piles of rubble, carpets of green seaweed, and only the meager remains of a once colorful sea of coral. Over the last 50 years, more than half of all hard cor…