Since 2014, the stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has been decimating corals in the Caribbean. Although the trigger of this outbreak remains elusive, evidence suggests waterborne sediment-mediated disease transmission. The outbreak reportedly initiated in September 2014 at a reef site off Virginia Key (VKR), during extensive dredging operations at the Port of Miami. Here we use a high-resolution ocean model to identify the potential driver of the outbreak by simulating the dispersal of dredged sediments, wastewater plumes and disease agents. Our results suggest that VKR could have been impacted by fine sediments produced by dredging operations, especially those involving non-conventional rock-chopping techniques. Wastewater contamination was unlikely. Additionally, our connectivity analysis indicates potential disease transmission from other affected reefs to VKR. Our results therefore suggest that dredging operations might be responsible for the onset of the epidemics. This underscores the need for stricter operational guidelines in future dredging projects.

中文翻译：

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调查迈阿密港疏浚与石珊瑚组织损失病流行之间的联系


自 2014 年以来，石珊瑚组织损失病 (SCTLD) 一直在导致加勒比地区的珊瑚大量减少。尽管这次爆发的触发因素仍然难以捉摸，但有证据表明水性沉积物介导的疾病传播。据报道，疫情于 2014 年 9 月在弗吉尼亚礁岛 (VKR) 附近的一个珊瑚礁地点爆发，当时迈阿密港正在进行大规模疏浚作业。在这里，我们使用高分辨率海洋模型，通过模拟疏浚沉积物、废水羽流和病原的扩散来确定疫情爆发的潜在驱动因素。我们的结果表明，VKR 可能受到疏浚作业产生的细小沉积物的影响，尤其是那些涉及非常规碎石技术的作业。废水污染的可能性不大。此外，我们的连通性分析表明疾病可能从其他受影响的珊瑚礁传播到 VKR。因此，我们的结果表明疏浚作业可能是导致流行病爆发的原因。这强调了未来疏浚项目需要更严格的操作指南。