New NOAA HotSpot Features

[Maggie Toscano]

Dear Coral Listers,

        NOAA's HotSpot web page:

http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html 

has two new features.   The first is a Degree Heating Weeks page with
thermal-stress accumulation maps of 

1.) the SE US - Caribbean - Central America; 
2.) the Western Hemisphere; and 
3.) the Eastern Hemisphere.

The other new feature is a web-based form for submitting coral bleaching
reports.  The form grew out of the many reports received from around the
world during the past two years. 

The reports you have generously submitted to NOAA, or posted to this
list, continue to confirm the HotSpot/bleaching connection.  The vast
majority of the submitted bleaching reports have since been posted on
the HotSpot web page as "Reports on HotSpots," and have greatly enhanced
the content and quality of the HotSpot page.

In an effort to obtain future and retrospective reports in quantitative
form for a bleaching database, we are requesting (via the form) more
detail in these reports, including dates, lats/lons, and any in situ
data that might have a bearing on bleaching.  We hope that by collecting
specific information, we can improve the present experimental HotSpot
products to include 

1) a comprehensive database for bleaching events (past & future years);

2) interactive maps showing locations of bleaching events with links to
information from the database; 

3) identification of individual, or combinations of, environmental
factors forcing bleaching, their threshold values, and the lead time
needed to cause a bleaching event; 

4) greater predictive capability; and

5) increased resolution in targeted regions, and eventually worldwide.

During this relatively uneventful 1999 season, would you please review
the form and experiment with it by sending reports on pre-1999
bleaching events that you have already studied and recorded?  Please
also use this form to submit any new bleaching reports for the 1999
season.   

Any comments on the content of the form are welcome. The form is not
meant to duplicate general reef monitoring information (e.g. REEFCHECK)
and may therefore appear incomplete to some.  We are only requesting
information that deals with the conditions leading to and maintaining
coral bleaching. 

To those who find it very long or detailed, please submit any
information you may have, even if it is not enough to complete the
entire form.  Some information is better than none, and may reinforce
other submissions.  

Please forward this message to any other interested individuals who are
not currently coral-list subscribers.

Thank you for your interest and input.

Sincerely,

Marguerite A. Toscano
Al Strong
Ingrid Guch
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