[Coral-List] New Experimental Doldrums Product from NOAA Coral Reef Watch

[Mark Eakin]

NOAA Coral Reef Watch (CRW) is now offering an Experimental Doldrums  
Product that identifies and tracks regions of sustained low wind  
speed to help coral reef managers and scientists better assess  
conditions that may lead to coral bleaching. Wind is an important  
physical factor influencing conditions conducive to coral bleaching.  
Wind-driven mixing reduces temperature stress and wind generated  
waves can scatter harmful levels of incoming solar radiation.   
Periods of sustained low wind may therefore promote environmental  
conditions adverse to corals experiencing thermal and/or light  
stress. In collaboration with NOAA's Coast Watch and the Southwest  
Fisheries Science Center - Environmental Research Division, 4-day  
mean surface winds, derived from QuikSCAT scatterometry, are used to  
identify persistent regions of low wind conditions. These persistent  
low wind regions are imaged and made available daily in a series of  
formats, including our standard map images, HDF, and Google Earth, at  
http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/doldrums/.

As an experimental product, we expect to future improve and refine  
the doldrums product. However, even in its current format CRW  
believes the experimental doldrums product will provide reef managers  
and the coral research community important information regarding the  
prevailing wind conditions affecting coral reef communities.

Please contact us if you have any suggestions on how we might improve  
on this experimental product to further its development and utility  
to the community.

For more information on the entire suite of NOAA Coral Reef Watch  
satellite products, see http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/

Cheers,
Mark

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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

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