Nov 24, 2010 /EIN Presswire/ – Scientists studying Caribbean reefs say that 2010 may have been the worst year for coral death, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Unusually warm waters since June have done serious damage to both shallow and deep-sea coral reefs that are speculated to surpass the coral deaths of 2005 where 80 percent of corals were bleached and nearly 40 percent died in the eastern Caribbean.
NOAA blames global warming for the massive die-off since heated ocean water causes crucial microorganisms to leave the reefs, which shelter more than a quarter of marine species.
Add to that that 2010 is likely to be even warmer than 2005, and coral biologists predict that this year will result in even more bleaching and coral die-off.
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