[Coral-List] MASSIVE CORAL BLEACHING AT COLOMBIA, CARIBBEAN SEA

[Alberto Rodriguez]

Report from Sven Zea. 

 

Sven Zea, Ph.D.

Profesor Asociado, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Departamento de Biología y Centro de Estudios en Ciencias del Mar-CECIMAR)

Address/dirección: INVEMAR, Cerro Punta de Betín, AA 10-16,

Santa Marta, COLOMBIA (South America)

e-mail: szea at invemar.org.co; sezeas at unal.edu.co

 

MASSIVE CORAL BLEACHING AT ISLAS DEL ROSARIO NEAR CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA, CARIBBEAN SEA

 

A massive bleaching of corals is taking place since aprox 10-15 days (since late June) at Islas del Rosario (National Natural Park) near the city of Cartagena, Colombia. I was there on holidays during the weekend of 8-10 July and took many photos in shallow waters (down to 5 m) around the Oceanarium at San Martín de Pajarales Island (10°10'37.7"N-75°46'16.2"). Resident people had been noticing the bleaching since about 1-2 weeks before my arrival, associated with extremely warm, and possibly quite brackish waters (from nearby river discharges).

 

Almost all corals were totally white to pale yellow. Some massive star coral colonies (Montastraea annularis and M. faveolata) still had slightly colored basal patches. Brain coral species (Diploria and Colpophyllia) were completely bleached. Porites porites beds were totally white. P. astreoides knobs were from white to light lemon yellow. Siderastrea siderea was less affected with a dark bluish-violet color in several colonies, and a few normally brown. S. radians was apparently not affected (hard to tell, the small encrustations of this species being normally so light). Even Favia fragum golfball corals were fully bleached. Benthic, rubble-dwelling anemones (probably corallymorpharians) were white. Millepora spp. had both white, normal and "pinto" (patchy) like colonies-branches. Did not see any Acropora to tell whether the few remaining colonies bleached or not.

 

Most corals are still alive. I only noticed a few branches of Millepora and portions of colonies of Porites astreoides with a slimy greenish-brownish layer, indicative of initial cyano or algal colonization after coral tissue death. But if most corals bleached 2 weeks ago and are still all alive, we may expect recovery.

 

I did not go deeper to check out (was swimming out with my 9 year-old son), but it seemed that deeper corals were less bleached. However, Jaime Rojas, biologist working for both the National Park authorities and the Oceanarium, undertook on July 8 a quick survey around the islands confirming that the phenomenon is widespread. He is making a follow up, and working with daily sea-surface temperature data (possibly salinity too) taken regularly at the Oceanarium. Later on he may make a more detailed report.

 

No sponges had bleached. Even brown encrusting Cliona, which harbor zooxanthellae, were fine. I do not remember if Gorgonians were paler than normal; I forgot to take notice!

 

Jaime Garzón-Ferreira and Diego Gil from INVEMAR just saw satellite sea-surface temperature images  (NOAA/NESDIS) and confirmed a hot spot in the SE Caribbean, between Nicaragua and Colombia, from June 1 to July 12.

Photos can be seen at http://www.invemar.org.co/redcostera1/invemar/coral-bleaching-photos-by-sven-zea/


Best wishes,
Sven

........................................................................................................................................................................................
Alberto Rodríguez Ramírez
Programa BEM (Biodiversidad y Ecosistemas Marinos)
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES MARINAS Y COSTERAS ( INVEMAR )
Zona Portuaria (A. Aéreo 1016) - Santa Marta, Colombia
Tel (57-5) 4214774 ó 4211380  Ext. 140 -  Fax (57-5) 4315761 ó 4211377
E-mail: betorod at invemar.org.co - http://www.invemar.org.co