How Coral Disease Outbreaks Fluctuate with El Niño Years

The Florida Institute of Technology's research associate Carly Randall and biology professor Rob van Woesik published their findings from an 18 year analysis of coral-disease. Over 2,100 sites had data collected from them. These data findings were then compared with the coinciding data of climate data to see if the disease cycles matched with the climate cycles.

It was found that three coral diseases--white-band disease, yellow-band disease, and dark-spot syndrome--seemed to peak every 2-4 years, corresponding with El Niño cycles. The potential increase with intensity of El Niño weather patterns due to climate change suggest that diseases in coral will be adding up even more in the coming decades.

Black-Band Diseased Coral
 Image Source: https://camillengarcia.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/blackbanddisease.jpg

This was spurred because disease outbreaks in corals have followed El Niño-fueled coral bleachings in past years. Climate-driven patterns of disease do not just reside in the oceans. Malaria and Dengue Fever seem to also track climate cycles on land.

Original article found here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170731134126.htm