Indian Ocean may lose corals in 50 yrs

The Indian Ocean could lose most of its coral islands in the next 50 years if sea temperatures continue to rise.

The Indian Ocean could lose most of its coral islands in the next 50 years if sea temperatures continue to rise and reefs badly damaged by global warming do not recover, a marine scientist.

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Global warming triggered the death of between 50 and 98 per cent of coral reefs in a region stretching from northern Mozambique to Eritrea to Indonesia in 1998, and although there has been some recovery, scientists remain concerned.

"We have reason to believe that if climate changes continue due to the carbon dioxide that is being pumped into the atmosphere, the temperatures at ground level and in the oceans will go up," said Dr Carl Lundin, head of the marine program of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

"So virtually all the coralline islands have a decent chance of disappearing in 50 years," Lundin said in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles.

Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive communities on Earth.