Global warming fuels coral killer, study finds
Global warming fuels coral killer, study finds
Jim Waymer, Florida Today 4:20 p.m. EST March 1, 2015
Global warming worsens a disease that has almost wiped out Caribbean coral reefs, according to a new study by researchers at the Florida Institute of Technology.
In only 40 years, the iconic elkhorn and staghorn corals that have dominated Caribbean reefs for 3.5 million years have declined by more than 90%. The main culprit: a disease that causes dead, white bands across the coral. And ocean warming is playing a bigger role in the so-called "white-band" disease than previously thought, the researchers found.
"Up until this point, people didn't have any evidence between a warming temperature and this disease," said Carly Randall, a doctoral student at Florida Tech and lead author on the study.
Randall conducted the research with her adviser, FIT biologist Robert van Woesik. Their study — funded by a $257,000 grant from the National Science Foundation — is published in this month's issue of Nature Climate Change.
More:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/01/global-warming-fuels-coral-killer-study-finds/24227285/