Julian Sprung's email.

[Bernard A. Thomassin]

Jonathan.Kelsey at noaa.gov wrote :

>-Are these generally accepted concepts?
>-Can one accurately assess coral mortality rates associated with a bleachin
>event after "a matter of just a few days"?
>-Are there quantitative studies showing that there is a greater bleaching
>survival rate among corals in polluted waters versus those in non-polluted
>water? -Any comments and/or further discussion would be greatly appreciated.

We will presented a poste about the subject at bali meeting. In Mayotte
Is., North Mozambique Channel, a huge bleaching occurred in 1998 spring
(end of summer season there) and most of 90 percent of the shallow coral of
the barrier reefs died.
Those corals that surveyed the best are from the muddy environnements in
bays, on fringing reef fronts and patches, even the harbour !why ? Because
the corals living in oceanic cooler waters of the barrier reef belt (170 km
long) are less adapted to tolerate hot waters and high level of light (some
got "sun burns" as table acroporas). In opposite population of corals (same
species) living in neritic coastal waters, in inner areas of the lagoon,
are genetically more adapted to tolerate : high temperature, turbid waters
after rainfalls, even falls of salinity. Today in Mayotte, probably the
recovering ibn coral of the mid-lagoon patch reefs (recruitement) is due to
larvae coming from these coastal coral populations. These is one of the
main reasons to protect these "special" reefs in muddy environments from
all the effects of coastal works (marinas, dredgings, infilling of littoral
for roads, etc...).

This is a good way for researches.. and from where larvae that recruit are
coming.

Bernard A. Thomassin
Directeur de recherches au C.N.R.S.

G.I.S. "Lag-May"
(Groupement d'Int=E9r=EAt Scientifique Environnement marin et littoral de
Mayotte")
& Centre d'Oceanologie de Marseille,
Station Marine d'Endoume,
rue de la Batterie des Lions,
13007 Marseille
9l. (33) 04 91 0416 17
9l. GSM 06 63 14 91 78
fax. (33) 04 91 04 16 35 (0 l'attention de...)
e-mail : thomassi at sme.com.univ-mrs.fr