What disease is killing coral reefs?

What disease is killing coral reefs?

Stony coral tissue loss disease, abbreviated as SCTLD, was discovered in the fall of 2014 in corals off Miami. The disease, likely spread by a bacterium or virus or some combination thereof, has already expanded throughout Florida’s coast and much of the northern Caribbean.

What causes white band disease?

Although scientists are unsure about the cause of this disease, it is suspected that algal overgrowth of the coral maybe the primary cause. White band disease progresses from the base of the colony up towards the tips of the branches. Bare, white coral skeleton is left behind, colonized by filamentous algae.

How big was the coral where divers are shown drilling into?

A group of scientist divers discovered a massive reef of rose-shaped corals between roughly 98 and 213 feet below the Pacific Ocean’s surface near French Polynesia’s Tahiti islands, UNESCO announced on Thursday. The reef, discovered in “pristine” condition in November, stretches nearly two miles long and 200 feet wide.

How did coral disease become an issue?

Coral disease outbreaks have emerged as a major cause of coral mortality and reef decline globally. They are often linked to declining water quality, overfishing and heat stress and are now on the rise in areas of the Great Barrier Reef.

How can coral diseases be prevented?

Just like hand-washing is a common practice to prevent the spread of disease among humans, disinfecting dive gear and following other best practices is recommended to prevent the accidental transmission of coral disease between reefs.

Is white syndrome the same as coral bleaching?

Coral bleaching stresses the coral and results in more vulnerability to predators, disease, or toxins. Bleaching doesn’t outright kill coral. White syndrome, on the other hand, destroys the coral’s tissue completely, leaving only the denuded skeleton.

How is white band disease spread?

Transmission. White band disease is highly contagious through direct contact between diseased and healthy coral tissue. It can also be transmitted by the corallivorous snail, which means that the species consumes coral, Coralliophila abbreviata.

What is the deepest coral reef?

The world’s largest known deep-water Lophelia coral complex is the Røst Reef. It lies between 300 and 400 metres (980 and 1,310 ft) deep, west of Røst island in the Lofoten archipelago, in Norway, inside the Arctic Circle.

What was the immediate cause of the death of the reef in Jamaica in the 1980’s?

In 1980, white-band disease killed 95 percent of the Acroporid palmata and Acroporid cervicornis colonies which placed them on the Endangered Species Act.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5c_N1HmEno