August 10, 2009, 10:03 pm
Under the turquoise waters in Biscayne National Park, a story of promise or demise is brewing.
About a mile from the rusted steel slabs of the Mandalay -- a shipwrecked Windjammer cruises sailboat parked on the ocean floor -- Elkhorn corals have latched onto the reef and started to reproduce.
Once a prevalent reef builder in South Florida, the dulce de leche-colored Elkhorn corals were reduced to about 3 percent of their historic population in 2005 by tropical storms, disease, irresponsible boating practices and climate change.
Now, Elkhorn are ``coming back like gang-busters,'' according to Richard Curry, chief scientist at Biscayne National Park.
But if weather forecasters are correct, this recovery may soon melt away under the summer heat -- possibly in tragic proportions.
