[Coral-List] Water temperature in the Caribbean

Eugene Shinn eshinn at marine.usf.edu
Mon Sep 27 10:41:53 EDT 2010


Listers, While we did have an unusually cold winter that caused 
extensive coral death among near shore corals in the Florida keys we 
also had a very warm summer. Ironically we had cold water bleaching 
off the east coast of Florida during the heat of summer. That posting 
of bleaching appeared several times on the list with interesting 
websites of before an after videos. The bleaching was caused by 
upwelling of cold water on to the narrow shelf. Such upwelling 
happens sporadically and has been reported by divers many times in 
the past. What causes the upwelling is anyones guess.
     Now we are hearing about bleaching and unusually warm 
temperatures in the Caribbean. It seems likely  that the recent 
Caribbean hurricane below Cuba and the ongoing tropical storm-forming 
conditions presently down there will cool things off rapidly. Do we 
have any current on the scene data from down there? Gene
-- 


No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)
------------------------------------ -----------------------------------
E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor
University of South Florida
Marine Science Center (room 204)
140 Seventh Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
<eshinn at marine.usf.edu>
Tel 727 553-1158---------------------------------- 
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