Bleaching Already

Ove Hoegh-Guldberg oveh at bio.usyd.edu.au
Thu May 20 19:27:28 EDT 1999


Hi Danny,

But have they recovered from last year.  We still have soft and hard corals
that are still pale in Sydney from 1998.  Recovery of symbionts may be very
slow where temperature are lowest (ie high latitude locations).  What is the
temperature right now?

Cheers,

Ove

Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Associate Professor
School of Biological Sciences
A08, University of Sydney

Ph: +61-2-9351-2389
Fx: +61-2-9351-4119

Http: www.reef.edu.au/OHG/
For educational fun: www.reef.edu.au


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> [mailto:owner-coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov]On Behalf Of Danny Gleason
> Sent: Friday, May 21, 1999 7:56 AM
> To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> Subject: Bleaching Already
>
>
> Just returned from Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas.  Although water
> temperatures did not appear to be at coral stress levels, we observed
> substantial bleaching in both fore and back reef areas from depths <1 m to
> 18 m.  We made no excursions below 18 m so cannot confirm whether or not
> bleaching was occurring below this depth.  Species affected include
> Montastrea franksi, M. faveolata, M. annularis, Diploria labyrinthformis,
> Colpophyllia natans, Agaricia tenuifolia, and a few Porites astreoides,
> Millepora complanata, and Favia fragum.  There may be others, but these
> species were most noticable.  Most large colonies are bleached on their
> upper surfaces.
>
> The way the corals appear this early in the summer suggest that
> it could be
> another rough year.  Interestingly, we were in Key Largo, Florida just
> prior to the Lee Stocking trip and did not notice any bleaching.
>
> Any hypotheses about what might be going on?  Don't think this is related
> to "Hot Spots!"
>
> Best wishes,
> **************************************
> "Heck, we're invertebrates, my boy!  As a whole, we're
> the movers and shakers on this planet!  Spineless
> superheroes, that's what we are!"
> Father Worm to his son in "There's a Hair in My Dirt -
> A Worm Story" by Gary Larson
> **************************************
> Daniel Gleason
> Department of Biology
> Georgia Southern University
> P.O. Box 8042
> Statesboro, GA  30460-8042
>
> Phone: 912-681-5957
> FAX: 912-681-0845
> E-mail: dgleason at gsvms2.cc.gasou.edu
> http://www.bio.gasou.edu/Bio-home/Gleason/Gleason-home.html
> **************************************
>



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