To What Extent Can Research Document the Compounding Effects of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and Climate Change?

Amy Johnson

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: The Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics and Technology

Major: Enviornmental Sciences

Faculty Research Mentor: Daniela Shebitz

Abstract:

Coral reefs make up less than 1% of the world's ocean floor and provide habitat to nearly 25% of all marine life. In the last 3 decades, Caribbean reef coral cover has declined by 80%. During the winter break of the 2024-2025 academic year, observations of extensive stony coral death by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) were made on the Belize Barrier Reef off the coast of South Water Caye. Since the SCTLD has only been a threat for the past decade (since 2014), and temperatures of the ocean’s waters are rapidly rising, there has not yet been much research that documents the role that climate change plays in the spread of the disease. Witnessing extensive evidence of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease inspired the following research questions: 1) How do researchers document the spread of SCTLD on stony coral? 2) To what extent would SCTLD threaten the world’s corals if ocean water temperature was not increasing due to climate change? To begin answering these research questions, a scientific literature review was conducted, relying on Google Scholar for the most up-to-date literature.