[Coral-List] Areas of Potential Bleaching in Caribbean

[Mark Eakin]

A large warm water mass has developed around the Lesser Antilles.  It  
has the same shape as last year's record-breaking warming, but is  
only at levels of DHW 1-2.  This places the Lesser Antilles under a  
Bleaching Warning.  Similar warming is patchy in many areas of the  
Greater Caribbean, with HotSpots >1 along the southern coast of Cuba,  
between Cuba and the Bahamas, in Florida Bay and the Northern Florida  
Keys, and other scattered locations.

While anomalously warm, these areas are much cooler than last year.   
We are cautiously optimistic that new bleaching will not be a major
issue in the Caribbean during 2006.

Our 24 index sites around the globe can be found at:
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/CB_indices/
coral_bleaching_indices.html

Current HotSpot and Degree Heating Week charts, HDF data, and
GoogleEarth products can be found at:
http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/index.html

Please reporting any bleaching events (or non-events) at
http://www.reefbase.org/input/bleachingreport/index.asp



------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
------------------------
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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Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226
301-713-2857 x109                   Fax: 301-713-3136