Long-term consequences of coastal development as bad as an oil spill on coral reefs

The near-shore habitats of Bahia Las Minas in the central Caribbean coast of Panama became heavily contaminated after a refinery accident in 1986. Over the next five years, there was a significant decline in the numbers and diversity of corals. Thirty years later, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and collaborating institutions report on the long-term changes of the oil spill on coral communities. Their findings were published in the journal Marine Biodiversity.

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