[Coral-List] African Dust and Montserrat Volcano Emissions

[Alan E. Strong]

http://www.cira.colostate.edu/RAMM/Rmsdsol/TROPICAL.html

Hi Melissa et. al.

I see from your recent e-mail that you have discovered RAMSDIS satellite 
imagery from our colleagues at Colo State!!  The link at the top is for 
virtually the same imagery you provided but, if you are select "Ch 
3-Water Vapor" and "Loop" from the GOES-EAST section and then are able 
to wait for the entire series to load from your site, they produce a 
time-series loop so you are able see which areas of moisture are moving 
toward the USVI, etc. [remembering these are total concentrations of 
water vapor throughout the atmosphere from top to nearly the 
surface....pretty neat stuff.

We look forward to hearing of some recovery from your area but know you 
have have apparently just dodged this year's bullet with the major warm 
water focusing on the Antilles to the south of you.

Awaiting better news...thanks for your reports.

Cheers,
Al

Melissa Keyes wrote:
> Dear Gene Shinn, and fellow Listers,
>
> The African Dust (pinkie-brown) has been with us this year here in the Virgin Islands, as well as the volcanic emission dust from Montseurrat (bluish grey).  Quite thickly at times.  Here is a link to dry/humid air satellite photography:
>
> http://hadar.cira.colostate.edu/ramsdis/online/trop_ge_wv_ls_1.html
>
> A hurricane named Helene just went by, leaving marvelous high  surf, and flat calm seas.  The sea fans must be madly flapping.  The beach sands are eroding, and moving to ?? deeper water.
>
> I cannot report much on the coral reef at this point, as I haven't been diving in two months or so.  Too depressing, with so much death from diseases following last summer's extreme heat and bleaching.
>
> There are a few Anenomies that I should go re-photograph.
>
> If anyone has a particular sclectarian coral species they wish me to follow photographically,  I would gladly do so.  About 75% of the individuals I have catalogued from 2004 have died.  Booooo.  I don't really enjoy going back to photo their remains.  Dead corals just fuzz over with white fluff, and no new corals seem to be able to attach.  Several years ago, I tried to keep clean two dead corals, with a scrub brush, but with no success.  Within a day, in clear water conditions, they would be covered in fine, fluffy sediment, at least a half/centimeter thickness. Not land run-off.  I can post series photos about this phenonmenon.  
>
> Can we cork Parrot fish?  Meaning, can we make the 'fluff-makers' relieve themselves in selected places, so the dead reef can be clean enough for settlement of new corals?
>
>  I need to work on my Palythoa files, if I can get the tourists to stop grabbing me to look at a passing Eagle Ray.
>
> I will be posting links to new coral photographs within a week.
>
> Cheers?
>
> Melissa Keyes, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, Caribbean Sea
>
>  		
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-- 
**** <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* <>< ******* 
Alan E. Strong, Ph.D.
NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Senior Consultant
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program
  e-mail: Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov
url: coralreefwatch.noaa.gov

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