1 of 10
The vibrant colours of the Mesoamerican Reef are turning sickly white
Image Credit: AFP
2 of 10
Experts are scrambling to understand the mysterious disease killing the Caribbean's corals
Image Credit: AFP
3 of 10
In a little over a year, the Mexican Caribbean has lost more than 30 per cent of its corals to an illness called sctld or stony coral tissue loss disease
Image Credit: AFP
4 of 10
SCTLD has put the region in a bind: it could potentially devastate the vital tourism industry around the reef
Image Credit: AFP
5 of 10
The disease causes corals to calcify and die
Image Credit: AFP
6 of 10
SCTLD takes just weeks to kill off coral tissue that took decades to grow
Image Credit: AFP
7 of 10
Experts warn the disease could kill a large part of the Mesoamerican Reef
Image Credit: AFP
8 of 10
One prime suspect is poor water quality, caused by sewage and a recent surge of decomposing sargassum seaweed
Image Credit: AFP
9 of 10
It is highly possible that too much tourism is in fact fueling the problem
Image Credit: AFP
10 of 10
Scientists say SCTLD is even more dangerous than coral bleaching, another damaging condition that has affected reefs around the world.
Image Credit: AFP