The longest and largest study of the effects of man-made pollution on the destruction of coral and a proven solution to the problem was presented by Rebecca Vega-Thurber, an assistant professor in the College of Science at Oregon State University, and collaborators from Florida International University and the University of Florida.
The three year study looked at the effects of elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus on coral health and coral bleaching in more than 1,200 corals in study plots near Key Largo, Florida.
This is the first long-term study that definitively identifies man-made sewage outflows and the use of fertilizers as the causes of coral death and bleaching. No previous research has made a direct correlation between the pollution and coral death that did not involve water depth, salinity, or temperature as a potential extraneous cause of coral death or bleaching.
The researchers also demonstrated that the coral could recover in as little as 10 months when the pollution was stopped. A very common coral disease called “dark spot syndrome” was demonstrated to be completely removed from infected coral within one year after the pollution had stopped.
This research is the first to prove the connection between coral death and man-made pollution. The researchers offer this work as evidence to governments in hopes of preventing further coral loss particularly in areas that depend on coral for a large part of their economy.
