In October 2017 the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary teamed up with partners to assess damage to the coral reef from Hurricane Irma. Preliminary reports from the team found extensive shifting of sand and heavy sediment accumulation, which can smother and prevent corals from getting enough sunlight, as well as some structural damage to individual corals and the reef itself. This effort is the first step in a longer recovery process. Here, a science diver notes reef conditions. Learn more about the assessment at &lt;a href="<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/whatsnew/releases/2017/20171024-noaa-partners-assess-coral-reef-damage-following-hurricane-irma.html">https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/whatsnew/releases/2017/20171024-noaa-partners-assess-coral-reef-damage-following-hurricane-irma.html</a>" rel="nofollow"&gt;floridakeys.noaa.gov/whatsnew/releases/2017/20171024-noaa...&lt;/a&gt; and see images at &lt;a href="<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/whatsnew/releases/2017/post-hurricane-irma-gallery.html">https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/whatsnew/releases/2017/post-hurricane-irma-gallery.html</a>" rel="nofollow"&gt;floridakeys.noaa.gov/whatsnew/releases/2017/post-hurrican...&lt;/a&gt;. (Photo: Brenda Altmeier/NOAA)
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