National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Photo: Coral Reefs Vanishing Faster Than Rain Forests


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Corals in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, such as these corals in Fiji, are dying off at a rate much faster than previously believed, a new study says.

Researchers who surveyed reefs throughout the region (bottom) were surprised to find a consistent level of destruction, despite differing coral reef management practices.

Photograph by Timothy Laman/NGS; map courtesy John Bruno, UNC-Chapel Hill