Coral bleaching in Belize

[Charles Evans Birkeland]

Dear Jerry: 

You mentioned that the coral bleaching you observed was the first seen  
or first reported from Belize.  On the other side of the world, Bob  
Richmond and I were surveying corals at 19 sites in Palau.  We found some  
bleaching at nearly all 19 sites.  A large number of species were  
involved.  The percentage was not great, nothing to get alarmed about,  
perhaps on the order of 5%.  Nevertheless, I have been going to Palau  
since 1976 and I never saw such frequent or ubiquitous bleaching.  The  
low percent of the coral bleaching in Palau is not exciting, and  
bleaching has probaby always been happening, but it is curious that  
Belize and Palau are on opposite sides of the world and both seem to be  
showing more than usual.  

Sincerely, 

Chuck