Dangerous epidemic like 'Ebola' threatens to destroy the sea, claims scientists
By Lokmat English Desk | Published: April 20, 2020 05:01 PM2020-04-20T17:01:28+5:302020-04-20T17:01:28+5:30
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Like the Coronavirus epidemic on Earth, an epidemic has spread in the sea. For the first time in 50 years, scientists studying the sea and its atmosphere have witnessed such a huge epidemic inside the sea. A scientist who has done research on marine organisms has compared it to the Ebola virus.
The organism that is in the grip of this disease is believed to be the basis of the life cycle within the ocean. The name of this creature is coral reef.
The disease that has come under the coral reef - its name is Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Coral reefs along the St. Thomas coast of the Virgin Islands of the United States suffer the most from SCTLD disease.
The disease is spreading very fast. Scientists are disturbed by the speed of its spread. Because of this, coral reefs of about 22 species have been hit. Such a scene was seen 50 years ago.
In the 1970s, two species of coral reefs present inside the sea were destroyed by white band disease.
However, this time SCTLD has captured 22 species of coral reef. The biggest problem is that scientists have no way to stop the disease.
In 2014, some divers on the Virgin Islands observed the disease in the coral reef. Since then, the disease has been engulfing coral reefs along the coasts of the US from Miami to Florida.
By 2017, the disease spread about 150 km northwest of Miami, and Key-West Island, 250 km to the south.
The initial symptom of SCTLD disease is that white spots appear on the coral reef. Gradually they spread all over the coral reef.
After this, the color of the coral reef starts changing and its life ends.
Half of the coral reefs under the coasts of Florida and about one third of the coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea are vulnerable to stony coral tissue disease.