Corals and coral reefs require specific environmental characteristics to maintain health and vitality. Among those requirements are clear and warm water, proper and stable water salinity levels, and adequate sunlight. Coral reefs face numerous hazards and threats, and certain environmental stressors have been known to inflict changes that damage or weaken coral communities. Destructive natural events, like hurricanes and disease outbreaks, are exacerbated by global warming and increases in human activity along coastlines where coral reefs are located. It is estimated that 10 percent of all coral reefs are degraded beyond recovery, and an additional 30 percent are in danger of dying in the next 10-20 years. Image courtesy of E. Weil, website: http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov/cres/OnePagers/coral_disease.htm
Highlights
Coral Disease Identification and Information: NOAA's Coral Health and Monitoring Program The purpose of the NOAA CHAMP coral disease identification key is to provide easy access to verifiable (based on peer-reviewed publications) information about coral diseases. The website is designed for use by both scientists and non-scientists. At the top of each coral disease page is a short-guide that both summarizes the known information concerning each disease, and serves as a link to details about each facet of the information. Included are links to peer-reviewed literature. Also included is information concerning verification of each disease. We hope to serve the coral health community by providing this service, with a long term goal of contributing to the protection and sustenance of coral reefs.
Major Reef-building Coral Diseases Coral diseases and syndromes generally occur in response to biotic stresses such as bacteria, fungi and viruses, and/or abiotic stresses such as increased sea water temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, sedimentation and pollutants. One type of stress may exacerbate the other (Santavy and Peters, 1997).
International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) The International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), established in 2000, is a global partnership of coral reef experts who are working to halt and reverse the decline of the health of the world's coral reefs. Made up of some of the world's leading coral reef scientists and conservation groups, ICRAN partners have created a globally integrated action plan to manage and protect coral reefs, based on recommendations from the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). The International Coral Reef Action Network is a coordinated response to ICRI's urgent call to protect coral reefs.
The NBII Program is administered by the Biological Informatics Program of the U.S. Geological Survey
