[Coral-List] CoralWatch Coral Health Chart to help monitor bleaching

[Kylie McPherson]

As many of you may be aware, the University of Queensland (Australia) has 
developed a colour chart to help monitor coral bleaching 
(www.coralwatch.org).  The CoralWatch Coral Health Chart consists of a 
series of coloured areas representing the most common coral 
colours.  Within each area, the brightness of the colours is varied 
systematically to represent different stages of bleaching and 
recovery.  Within species, each colour corresponds to a concentration of 
symbiotic dinoflagellate.  In the field, you simply compare the colour of a 
coral with the colours on the chart and record matching codes.

Considering the western southern Indian Ocean bleaching alert issed by Gang 
from NOAA, the chart may be particularly helpful to those of you in this 
region.  However, while it's important to gather data from 
bleached/bleaching corals it's equally important to gather data from 
healthy or recovering corals, so we can attempt to answer questions about 
bleaching patterns and trends.

If you would like a chart (free of charge) please let us know by return 
email and hopefully we can help you monitor coral bleaching and recovery at 
your reef/s.

Kind regards

Kylie McPherson
Research Project Manager
CoralWatch
Vision Touch and Hearing Research Centre
University of Queensland
Brisbane Queensland 4072 Australia

P  +61 7 3365 4063
F  +61 7 3365 4522

www.coralwatch.org
www.vthrc.uq.edu.au/ecovis




At 05:00 PM 26/03/2005 +0000, coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov wrote:
>Send Coral-List mailing list submissions to
>         coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
>To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>         http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>         coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
>You can reach the person managing the list at
>         coral-list-owner at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>
>When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>than "Re: Contents of Coral-List digest..."
>
>
>Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Western South Indian Ocean Coral Bleaching Alert (Gang Liu)
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Message: 1
>Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 15:51:53 -0500
>From: "Gang Liu" <Gang.Liu at noaa.gov>
>Subject: [Coral-List] Western South Indian Ocean Coral Bleaching Alert
>To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>Message-ID: <424479E9.9597E07E at noaa.gov>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>Western South Indian Ocean Coral Bleaching Alert
>
>Since early February 2005, anomalously high sea surface temperatures
>(SSTs) have been developing over the western portion of the southern
>Indian Ocean. Our satellite bleaching monitoring shows that the
>accumulation of the thermal stress is most certainly conducive to coral
>bleaching -- 4 DHWs in many locations in the region, including northeast
>Madagascar, Mauritius, and Reunion:
>http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/data/hotspote.3.22.2005.gif
>http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/data2/dhwe.3.22.2005.gif
>
>Significant bleaching has already been observed in the northeast coastal
>regions of Madagascar, Mauritius, and Reunion. Our satellite monitoring
>shows that the thermal stress continues to build in this region. Unless
>some environmental (e.g. weather) conditions change in the next few
>days, the intensity of the bleaching is likely to increase.
>
>At this time of year, as the warmest ocean temperatures move to the
>north, enhanced thermal stress may develop further north to affect coral
>reefs in Seychelles and nearby regions.
>
>For more information please visit Coral Reef Watch's Website:
>http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/index.html
>
>=================================================================
>
>Any feedback you can provide is useful: both bleaching and non-bleaching
>observations are welcome. Please send the feedback to Alan Strong
>(Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov) and/or Gang Liu (Gang.Liu at noaa.gov). Users are
>also encouraged to use the NOAA/ReefBase collaborative online bleaching
>report form to send input to our bleaching database. The form is
>available at http://www.reefbase.org/input/bleachingreport/index.asp
>
>
>NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program
>March 25, 2005
>
>--
>=========================================
>  Gang Liu, Ph.D.
>  Senior Research Scientist/Oceanographer
>  (STG, Inc.)
>  NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program
>  NOAA/NESDIS/ORA E/RA31
>  SSMC1, #5310
>  1335 East-West Highway
>  Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226
>
>  Tel: 301-713-9386 ext 131
>  Fax: 301-713-3136
>  Email: Gang.Liu at noaa.gov
>=========================================
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>_______________________________________________
>Coral-List mailing list
>Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
>
>End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 21, Issue 24
>******************************************