Coral disease in Great Barrier Reef

A U.S.-led international study has, for the first time, conclusively demonstrated a link between coral disease severity and ocean temperature. An international team of scientists, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, tracked an infection called white syndrome in 48 reefs along more than 900 miles of Australia's coastline for six years.

While higher temperatures drove the disease outbreaks, the team also discovered a strong connection between white syndrome and coral cover, a measure of reef health. "More diseases are infecting more coral species every year, leading to the global loss of reef-building corals and the decline of other important species dependent on reefs," said lead study author John Bruno, a University of North Carolina assistant professor of marine ecology and conservation.

"We've long suspected climate change is driving disease outbreaks. Our results suggest that warmer temperatures are increasing the severity of disease in the ocean." The study - one of the largest and longest surveys of ocean temperature and coral disease - appears in the online issue of a biology journal.

UPI