Corals reefs support marine biodiversity, protect coastlines from storm surges and strong waves, and provide income from tourism to coastal communities. Coral diseases were first recognized in the 1970s and are now considered a major threat to coral reef survival worldwide. Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) emerged in Florida in 2014 and now impacts nearly 90% of coral reefs in Florida. This new disease causes high mortality rates in some species and has spread into the Caribbean, threatening coral reefs that are already struggling due to other causes.
USGS scientists are working to determine the cause of SCTLD and understand the drivers of this multi-year outbreak. We employ cutting edge genomic technology to characterize the bacterial community differences between healthy and diseased corals. USGS brings specialized expertise in marine veterinary medicine, coral histopathology, coral microbial ecology, and epidemiology of disease outbreaks. USGS is working with regional and national partners and stakeholders to provide decision analysis tools to help manage impacts of coral disease.
Coral Disease Research
Research in response to Florida’s emerging coral disease
USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats
Marine Invertebrate Diseases
Coral Bleaching and Disease: Effects on Threatened Corals and Reefs
NRDA: Deepwater ROV Sampling to Assess Potential Impacts to Hardbottom Coral Communities and Associates from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
USGS DISCOVRE: Benthic Ecology, Trophodynamics, and Ecosystem Connectivity – Lophelia II: Continuing Ecological Research on Deep-Sea Corals and Deep Reef Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
Connectivity of Tropical Marine Ecosystems: Understanding Biodiversity and Trophic Relationships in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Life on the Edge: Can Corals in Mangroves Provide Insights into Climate Change and Recovery following Severe Hurricane Damage?
- Overview
Corals reefs support marine biodiversity, protect coastlines from storm surges and strong waves, and provide income from tourism to coastal communities. Coral diseases were first recognized in the 1970s and are now considered a major threat to coral reef survival worldwide. Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) emerged in Florida in 2014 and now impacts nearly 90% of coral reefs in Florida. This new disease causes high mortality rates in some species and has spread into the Caribbean, threatening coral reefs that are already struggling due to other causes.
USGS scientists are working to determine the cause of SCTLD and understand the drivers of this multi-year outbreak. We employ cutting edge genomic technology to characterize the bacterial community differences between healthy and diseased corals. USGS brings specialized expertise in marine veterinary medicine, coral histopathology, coral microbial ecology, and epidemiology of disease outbreaks. USGS is working with regional and national partners and stakeholders to provide decision analysis tools to help manage impacts of coral disease.
Coral Disease ResearchResearch in response to Florida’s emerging coral disease
Coral reefs are both ecologically and economically important, serving as nurseries for fisheries, protecting the coastline from storm surges, and generating income from tourism. Since 2014, a wide variety of corals have been dying from unexplained causes throughout South Florida with mortalities ranging from North Miami to the Florida Keys.USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats
USGS scientists are collaborating with multiple agencies to provide the esssential foundation for understanding these deep-sea environments.Marine Invertebrate Diseases
Coral reefs worldwide are under tremendous stress primarily due to human activities along the coasts. While climate change, over fishing, and coastal development have been implicated as a major cause of coral reef decline, diseases seem to play an increasing role.Coral Bleaching and Disease: Effects on Threatened Corals and Reefs
A severe disease - tentatively named stony coral tissue loss disease - is rapidly killing corals in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Puerto Rico, and the National Park Service are working together to better under the disease and determine if the disease affecting corals in the USVI is the same one that has been killing corals in Florida since...NRDA: Deepwater ROV Sampling to Assess Potential Impacts to Hardbottom Coral Communities and Associates from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
The MC252 oil spill introduced hydrocarbons, dispersants, and drilling muds into the Gulf of Mexico, potentially adversely affecting the seafloor environment surrounding the spill site.USGS DISCOVRE: Benthic Ecology, Trophodynamics, and Ecosystem Connectivity – Lophelia II: Continuing Ecological Research on Deep-Sea Corals and Deep Reef Habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
Deep-sea coral habitats are complex ecosystems at the landscape and local level. While these systems may harbor substantial levels of biodiversity, they remain inadequately investigated.Connectivity of Tropical Marine Ecosystems: Understanding Biodiversity and Trophic Relationships in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Marine reserves and protected areas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico encompass a variety of tropical ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, but questions remain regarding how effective these areas are at preserving and protecting the habitats and species they encompass. USGS and collaborators address this question by examining the biodiversity and food web...Life on the Edge: Can Corals in Mangroves Provide Insights into Climate Change and Recovery following Severe Hurricane Damage?
WARC is collaborating with USGS scientists from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center and other scientists outside USGS to better understand the role of Hurricane Hole as a refuge from changing climate and ocean acidification. - Data
- Publications
- News