Coral reefs are dying around the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia at rates that may be the worst ever recorded, scientists said this week.
Death rates as high as 80 percent have been recorded for some species, according to the study performed by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.
It is certainly the worst coral die-off we have seen since 1998. It may prove to be the worst such event known to science, said Andrew Baird, a principal research fellow for James Cook University in Australia.
Dive operators reported water temperatures were 4 degrees Centigrade higher than average during the die-off, according to the ARC report.
The scientists said coral coverage in the affected areas could drop from 50 percent to 10 percent, hurting fishing and tourist industries over the long term as dead reefs support less marine life than live ones.
Scientist: 'Human-induced global warming' killing corals – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs
Death rates as high as 80 percent have been recorded for some species, according to the study performed by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University.
It is certainly the worst coral die-off we have seen since 1998. It may prove to be the worst such event known to science, said Andrew Baird, a principal research fellow for James Cook University in Australia.
Dive operators reported water temperatures were 4 degrees Centigrade higher than average during the die-off, according to the ARC report.
The scientists said coral coverage in the affected areas could drop from 50 percent to 10 percent, hurting fishing and tourist industries over the long term as dead reefs support less marine life than live ones.
Scientist: 'Human-induced global warming' killing corals – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs