2023-06-08 08:17:10
A study determines that the increase in the temperature of the oceans directly influences the spread of this disease
A disease deadly of the corals is spreading as the global temperatures warmingand is likely to become endemic to reefs throughout the world.
This is demonstrated by a new study, published in Ecology Letters, shows to what extent the health of corals will be affected by climate change, which threatens to wipe out entire reef habitats and devastate coastal communities.
For the meta-analysis, UNSW Sydney researchers analyzed 108 studies on coral health in which coral reefs were inspected for signs of disease. They then linked the disease surveys to the temperature records of the ocean sea surface to understand how climate change, specifically the warming of the oceans, has influenced the prevalence of coral diseases around the world, and modeled to forecast disease under scenarios of future warming.
They discovered that coral disease increased with ocean temperature over time, tripling in the last 25 years to 9.92% globally. Their model also predicts that the prevalence of the disease may increase as 76,8% in 2100 if temperatures continue to rise on the same trajectory, the most conservative worst case scenario.
Samantha Burke, lead author of the study, says the findings highlight the devastating impacts of rising temperatures on coral reefs and the urgent need for swift action to mitigate climate change.
“Coral disease is a serious cause of death global coral and reef decline, and our model predicts that it will continue to worsen even if ocean temperatures remain conservative,” says Ms Burke.
The study also suggests that coral disease is likely worsen more in the Pacific Ocean than in the Atlantic Ocean or Indian Ocean based on current data.
coral reefs play a critical role in the marine ecosystem, supporting about a quarter of the world’s fish. They are also vital to coastal communities that depend on reefs for fishing and tourism, as well as the protections they provide against storm surges and coastal erosion.
“They are the habitat builders. Without coral, there is no reef environment and no coastal industry,” says Burke.
The coral disease It occurs when the coral’s immune system is compromised, usually after becoming infected with a pathogen, such as a bacterium or fungus, that causes disease in the animal. This is different from coral bleaching, which is when corals turn white under stress by expelling the zooxanthellae algae that live within their tissue responsible for the coloration.
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