22 October 2010 Source: Science Centric International marine
scientists say that a huge coral death which has struck
Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean reefs over recent months has
highlighted the urgency of controlling global carbon emissions.
Many reefs are dead or dying across the Indian Ocean and into
the Coral Triangle following a bleaching event that extends from
the Seychelles in the west to Sulawesi and the Philippines in
the east and include reefs in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore, and many sites in western and eastern
Indonesia. '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,' says Dr Andrew Baird of the ARC Centre of Excellence
for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook Universities. 'So far
around 80 percent of Acropora colonies and 50 per cent of
colonies from other species have died since the outbreak began
in May this year.' This means coral cover in the region could
drop from an average of 50% to around 10%,