ISER Caribe executive director Stacey Williams dives underwater to clip lines of astroturf-like material where baby sea urchins are growing. The group is working to restore 5 acres of coral reef in Puerto Rico by planting fragments across six reefs and returning long-spined sea urchins to the ecosystem. Then, once the urchins reach young adult size, the researchers place them in a coral reef in need of extra support. Manzello said scientists used to think coral had a longer runway — perhaps until 2040 or 2050 — before conditions became so grim. A look at the underwater lab where ISER Caribe nurtures baby sea urchins.

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Persons: Derek Manzello, ” Manzello, ”, That’s, they’d, Stacey Williams, Jackie Montalvo, Maura Barrett, —, “, ” Williams, Juan Torres, Andrew Baker, ” Baker, Manzello, “ You’re, We’ve, haven’t, Evan Bush Organizations: Oceanic, Reef Watch, NOAA, Atlantic, ISER Caribe, NBC, Preserve ., Institute for, Ecological Research, ISER, NASA, Caribe, University of Miami, Rosenstiel, of Marine, Science Locations: Florida, Atlantic, Brazil, Puerto Rico, ISER Caribe, Puerto Rican, La Parguera, Honduras, Caribbean, Seattle, La