by Stacy Morford -
Jul 23rd, 2009 
The Caribbean’s vibrant coral reefs could be in for another devastating year as the world's oceans experience some of their warmest surface temperatures on record, scientists warn.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its 2009 outlook for the world's coral reefs this week, and the results are disturbing.
The temperature patterns and heat stress that scientists are seeing, particularly in the Caribbean, are reminiscent of 2005. That year set records for coral deaths. Across the Caribbean, 25 to 95 percent of the coral colonies were affected. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, nearly 52 percent of the corals died. In Trinidad and Tobago, 73 percent of all Colpophyllia and Diploria brain coral colonies were wiped out.
The damage goes beyond the corals themselves. Reefs provide habitats and ecosystems for tens of thousands of organisms, and they support the fisheries and tourism that some 100 million people worldwide depend on for their livelihoods.
“There’s a lot of similarly between what we’re seeing now and what hindcasts of 2005 showed,” said C. Mark Eakin, coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch. “We can’t say whether it’s going to be worse or how they’re going to compare, but we’re looking at the potential for conditions that could lead to coral bleaching.”
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