bleaching on GBR (and beyond)

[Daniel Bucher]

Dear coral listers,

Further to Doug Fenner's notice of bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef,  I
would like to add that the present bleaching event extends well south of
the GBR into coral communities in Northern New South Wales (at least to
Byron Bay, Lat.28°37'S), affecting mostly Pocillopora damicornis in waters
to 15m deep. Water temperatures were recorded around 28°C and unconfirmed
reports from commercial fishermen suggest temperatures over 30°C further
offshore (temperatures in the low to mid twenties are the norm at this time
of year).

Regards, Danny

>Coralist members,
>    There is a major bleaching event currently on the Great Barrier Reef.
>For more information, check the Australian Institute of Marine Science web
>site at  http://www.aims.gov.au   Click on "News", then find the releases
>for 27 Feb and 12 March.  If you have any questions or comments, please
>contact those who are listed there or Terry Done at t.done at aims.gov.au   Do
>not reply to this message, as I have no further information.  -Doug
>Douglas Fenner, Coral Taxonomist
>Australian Institute of Marine Science,
>PMB 3,
>Townsville MC, Qld 4810,
>Australia
>phone 61 (07) 4753 4241
>email d.fenner at aims.gov.au


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                    DANIEL BUCHER         *

   Associate Lecturer in Biology/Ecology/Marine Biology
             Centre for Coastal Management
               SOUTHERN CROSS UNIVERSITY
      P.O. Box 157, Lismore, N.S.W. Australia, 2480
        Phone: +61 +2 6620 3665   Fax: +61 +2 6621 2669
               E-mail: dbucher at scu.edu.au
                        web page at:
   http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff_pages/dbucher
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