Christian M Dillon - To Give Lecture on White Pox Disease

White Pox Disease is a recently discovered disease that appears as blotches all over the coral, from base to tip. In its advanced stages the living tissue of the coral is reduced 50-80% in Dr. James Porter's photo-monitoring sites. It is attacking corals at Rock Key and Eastern Dry Rocks reefs near Key West. At these locations, it has decimated 50-80% of elkhorn corals (acropora palmata), the major reef-building coral for shallow reefs. Elkhorns only inhabit western Atlantic and Caribbean waters. It was first observed at Key West-area reefs in the summer of 1996 by REEF RELIEF's Craig Quirolo, who alerted coral reef scientist Dr. James Porter (Un-Ga), Debbie Santavy of the USEPA Gulf Breeze Lab and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary personnel.

Christian M Dillon is a senior researcher at Scrippts Insitute