"Coral Bleaching Event in Hawai'i"

[Dave Alan Gulko]

	A major coral bleaching event began in late August in the south 
basin of Kane'ohe Bay, O'ahu in response to high temperature.  A long 
period of hot, calm weather drove temperatures into the 29 - 30 degrees 
centigrade range in the restricted basin (this is 1 - 2 degrees 
centrigrade higher than oceanic temperatures).  The return of trade winds 
and cloud cover during the second week of September lowered surface water 
temperatures into the "safe" range.  If the temperatures continue at 
normal levels, we expect most of the coral to recover within 1-3 months. 
The event is under investigation by Paul Jokiel of the Hawai'i Institute 
of Marine Biology (jokiel at hawaii.edu).