What happens to coral reefs hit by disease?
USGS Friday's Findings Webinar - July 24, 2026
Coral disease is now one of the major causes of reef degradation and coral mortality. Tune into Friday's Findings to learn how USGS researchers are studying an emerging threat, stony coral tissue loss disease.
Date: Friday, July 24, 2026, 2:00–2:30 pm ET / 11:00–11:30 am PT
Speaker: Kevin Lafferty, Senior Scientist, Western Ecological Research Center
Summary
The USGS studies the roles that coral reefs play for shoreline protection, fisheries benefits, and tourism-based economies. Many Caribbean coral reefs are near collapse due to various threats. An emerging threat, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), is spreading across the Western Atlantic and Caribbean. Data from the U.S. Virgin Islands reveal how SCTLD spread has reduced the abundance of susceptible coral and crustose coralline algae and increased cyanobacteria, fire coral, and macroalgae. Some reef fishes will decline due to SCTLD, with the largest changes on reefs that lose the most susceptible corals and rugosity. Mapping these projected declines in space indicates how the indirect effects of SCTLD range from undetectable to devastating. The origins of SCTLD and whether it may spread beyond the Caribbean have implications for coral reefs in the US Pacific.
Series Info
Friday’s Findings is a twice‑monthly public webinar series hosted by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area.