[Coral-List] Re: 2nd Call - Requesting Data on 2005 Caribbean Bleaching

[Mark Eakin]

As an update on this request that we sent out last week, I want to  
emphasize that we also need reports from those areas that did not  
bleach.  We need to get information from reefs that fell outside the  
thermal stress zone, or where stress was less severe to really anchor  
the bottom end of the response of corals to thermal stress.  If we  
only have positive bleaching reports, we can't nail down the  
threshold below which we did not see bleaching.

Thanks,
Mark


On Jan 27, 2006, at 5:37 PM, Jessica A. Morgan wrote:

> TO:                  Bleaching Observation Contributors
> FROM:            Jessica Morgan and Mark Eakin, NOAA Coral Reef Watch
>
> Second call: Deadline for data submission to be included in our  
> publication is Friday, February 3.  Please contact me if you will  
> have any problems meeting this deadline.
>
> ---------------------------
>
> As you know, bleaching reports from contributors have been coming  
> in from much of the Caribbean and western North Atlantic.  The US  
> Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) Bleaching Committee has held  
> conference calls to bring together and solicit input from NOAA and  
> DOI personnel, as well as other federal agencies, NGO partners, and  
> local Caribbean scientists and managers.  The outcomes of the  
> initial meetings include the development of a 3-phase response  
> approach (including an initial response, near-term reporting and  
> assessment, and long-term monitoring) and identification of key  
> partners, resources, and issues.
>
> A part of the first phase is to identify and assess bleaching  
> severity throughout the region.  I am collating these reports with  
> the plan to produce a multi-author, quick paper to Science or  
> Nature that documents the event.  From there, I am sure that more  
> publications will follow.  Everyone who provides data that are used  
> in the analysis of the event will be included as an author on the  
> resulting paper(s).  Our intent is to provide the broad, Caribbean- 
> wide analysis, comparing the thermal stress recorded from  
> satellites with local observations of bleaching and temperatures.   
> That publication will only include summaries of the information  
> that you submit.  We hope that all of our collaborators will  
> produce more detailed national or local analyses to further  
> document the event.  At this point we have almost 1000 observations  
> contributed by 70 individuals in 18 jurisdictions.
>
> To collect the details needed for the first analysis and to  
> establish a baseline for follow-up work, a spreadsheet  
> questionnaire (“CRW Carib Bleach Report Form”) has been developed  
> for bleaching reports.  We would like to invite all ReefBase  
> contributors who have made bleaching observations for the Caribbean  
> in 2005 to expand upon the original ReefBase information by  
> submitting a more quantitative report via the attached  
> questionnaire (an Excel file) to coralreefwatch at noaa.gov.  Please  
> note that we are only seeking quantitative reports for this analysis.
>
> The blank questionnaire form, along with information from the US  
> Coral Reef Task Force, NOAA meetings held to date, and more, are  
> available for download at the website http:// 
> coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/caribbean2005.
>
> Thanks to all of you for your help,
> Jessica
> -- 
> Jessica A. Morgan
> Operations Manager, NOAA Coral Reef Watch
> SSMC1, E/RA 31, Rm. 5309, Silver Spring, MD 20910
> Phone: (301) 713-2857 x129      Fax: (301) 713-3136
> Email: Jessica.Morgan at noaa.gov  Web: coralreefwatch.noaa.gov
> <CRW Carib Bleach Report Form.xls>

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
------------------------
C. Mark Eakin, Ph.D.
Coordinator, NOAA Coral Reef Watch
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Center for Satellite Applications and Research
Satellite Oceanography & Climate Division
e-mail: mark.eakin at noaa.gov
url: coralreefwatch.noaa.gov

E/RA31, SSMC1, Room 5308
1335 East West Hwy
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226
301-713-2857 x109                   Fax: 301-713-3136