Analysing the influence of African dust storms on the prevalence of coral disease in the Caribbean Sea using remote sensing and association rule data mining

The application of an association rule data mining algorithm is described to combine remote sensing and in-situ geophysical data to show a relationship between African dust storms, Caribbean climate, and Caribbean coral disease. An analysis is performed to quantify the relative statistical significance of each Caribbean climate parameter on the prevalence of coral disease. Results show that African dust storms contribute to an increased prevalence of coral disease in the Caribbean Sea, and that the correlation between them is influenced by other climate parameters, especially sea surface temperature.