Coral disease is wiping out entire reefs, and it's about to get worse

Deadly coral reef disease continues to spread as temperatures rise globally — and it's likely to become endemic to reefs worldwide by next century, new research shows.

Lead author of the study Samantha Burke said that mitigating climate change is crucial."Coral disease is a serious cause of coral mortality globally and reef decline, and our modeling predicts it will only continue to worsen — even if ocean temperatures remain conservative," Burke said in a statement.

Coral reefs are vital to a marine ecosystem and support about a quarter of the world's fish. Because of this, they are critical to coastal communities relying on fisheries and tourism, in addition to protections from storms and erosion, the study said. Rising temperatures can increase the growth rate of the disease-causing organisms that infect the coral, the research explained.

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Coral disease tripled in the last 25 years: Three-quarters will likely be diseased by next centuryDeadly coral disease is spreading as global temperatures warm, and it's likely to become endemic to reefs the world over by the next century, according to new research.
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