Coral bleaching in Belize

[Coral Health and Monitoring Program]

Forwarded bleaching information: 

---------- Forwarded message ---------- 
Date: Thu, 01 Aug 96 15:32:20 GMT 
From: Coral Cay Conservation <ccc at coralcay.demon.co.uk> 
To: hendee at aoml.noaa.gov 
Cc: ccc at coralcay.demon.co.uk 
Subject: Coral bleaching 

Dear Jim, 

My colleague Peter Raines has passed on your correspondence regarding 
coral bleaching and asked me to send you CCC's bleaching records from 
Belize. 

Through our baseline survey work we have a number of records of bleaching 
but the data are rather qualitative. From personal observations I have 
seen a number of bleached colonies on Turneffe Atoll. However, we did one 
limited quantitative study which gave the following results from Calabash 
Cay, Turneffe Atoll: 

Agaricia lamarcki (3 normal, 9 partially bleached, 0 completely bleached) 
Meandrina meandrites (30, 6, 7) 
Siderastrea siderea (36, 0, 0) 
Stephanocoenia michelenii (7, 0, 0) 
Agaricia agaricites (1, 0, 2) 

This survey was done along the top of the escarpment (around 15m) in 
October 1994. The water temperature was 29.5 deg C (surface) and 29 at 
40m. These temperatures are typical for this area. 

As I am sure you are aware CARICOMP have more detailed information on 
bleaching in Belize. 

I hope this information is useful and please do not hesitate to contact 
me again for further details, 

Best wishes, 

Alastair Harborne 
Science Coordinator. 
-- 
Coral Cay Conservation Ltd.  154 Clapham Park Road, London, SW4 7DE, UK. 
Tel: +44 (0)71 498 6248      Fax: +44 (0)71 498 8447 
E-Mail: ccc at coralcay.demon.co.uk 
WWW:    http://www.demon.co.uk/coralcay/home.html