Throughout the waters of the Caribbean, a disease is wiping out some of the largest, oldest, and most important reef-building corals
At the time, Precht, the chief scientist of a Miami-based environmental consulting company, Dial Cordy and Associates, was running a series of monitoring stations on coral reefs around Miami to keep track of any impacts caused by a dredging project in the area.
In October, one of the company’s divers, named Ryan Fura, saw a few corals that looked “a little funky” on a reef a short distance from the outflow of the Miami-Dade County water treatment plant, Precht recalls. Over the next few weeks,seemed to spread rapidly. Precht visited the affected reef in early November to check it out himself.
During another extensive survey in March 2020, Dahlgren, with the Perry Institute for Marine Science, once again surveyed more than 60 miles of reef—and found infected corals in every site, particularly brain and pillar corals. Within months, the vast majority of the infected colonies were dead.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.: A colony of grooved brain coral—a species highly susceptible to SCTLD—is seen in a laboratory near Tampa, Florida.
The disease has been devastating to Virgin Islands reefs, which in some places have lost between a half and three-quarters of their coral within two years of the first infection, she says.Brandt fears the loss of coral will harm fish populations, as well as negatively impact the economy, which depends heavily on coral reef snorkeling and diving tourism.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Nutrient-rich fish are thriving in a coral graveyard off the coast of AfricaOff the coast of Seychelles, fish that feed the population are more nutritious now than before a disastrous coral reef bleaching event decades ago.
Read more »
Cardiovascular diseases disrupt the bone-marrow nicheImbalances in blood-cell production could affect disease outcome.
Read more »
Staff shortages from COVID forcing some health care facilities to limit servicesAs U.S. COVID-19 cases continue to surge, some health care facilities have been forced to shut down facilities or departments as staffing shortages worsen.
Read more »
Bob Saget Dead at 65The legendary comic and star of 'Full House' was found dead in his Florida hotel.
Read more »
Bob Saget, 'Full House' Star and Celebrated Comedian, Dead at 65The comedian was found dead in his hotel in Orlando, Florida on Sunday.
Read more »