[Coral-List] water temperatures soar around Florida, causing more coral bleaching

[Douglas Fenner]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/water-temperatures-soar-around-florida-causing-more-coral-bleaching-212605993.html

Unprecedented ocean temperatures "much higher" than predicted, experts warn

https://www.yahoo.com/news/unprecedented-ocean-temperatures-much-higher-003700832.html

new dangerous heatwave could break records

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dangerous-long-lasting-heat-wave-180442048.html

worst heat wave ever in Phoenix?

https://www.yahoo.com/news/worst-heat-wave-ever-phoenix-221727721.html

Intense heat wave coming to Southern California

US southwest braces for record-breaking heatwave that could hit 120F

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-swelters-south-west-braces-090009052.html

Wed and Thurs 45 to 48C

37 million Americans on alert for dangerous heat

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/37-million-americans-alert-dangerous-143800556.html

and many more such stories.  I've never seen so many news stories about
dangerously high temperatures.

Florida in hot water
https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-hot-water-ocean-temperatures-203137888.html

"Scientists worry about the coral in that warmed-up water.

“There's a good chance of heat stress accumulating very early in the season
so we could be looking at nasty bleaching,” said International Coral Reef
Society's Mark Eakin, a retired top NOAA coral reef scientist. Bleaching
weakens coral; it takes extended heat to kill it.

“We are already receiving reports of bleaching from Belize, which is very
alarming this early in the summer," said scientist Liv Williamson of the
University of Miami's Coral Reef Futures Lab. She said global projections
give a 90% chance for major bleaching on many reefs, including in Pacific
Islands along the Equator, the eastern tropical Pacific in Panama, the
Caribbean coast of Central America, and in Florida.

"This is only July, this heat will just keep accumulating and these corals
will be forced to deal with dangerously warm conditions for much longer
than is normal," Williamson said in an email.

Coral bleaching and die-offs are becoming more frequent with climate
change, especially during an El Nino, with Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
losing half its coral during the last supersized El Nino in 2016,
Williamson said.

Scientists say a new El Nino is part of the reason for the current heat,
along with ever-increasing warming from the burning of coal, oil and
natural gas."

Cheers, Doug

-- 
Douglas Fenner
Lynker Technologies, LLC, Contractor
NOAA Fisheries Service
Pacific Islands Regional Office
Honolulu
and:
Coral Reef Consulting
PO Box 997390
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799-6298  USA

1 million Florida buildings will be overrun by sea-level rise, new study
shows, at a cost of $261-624 BILLION

https://www.yahoo.com/news/1-million-florida-buildings-overrun-091203340.html

Scientists size up human predatory footprint
Humans are the ultimate predators, trapping, hunting, or otherwise
exploiting 15,000 species of vertebrates—300 times more species than
jaguars and 113 times more than great white sharks.
https://www.science.org/content/article/news-glance-muscular-dystrophy-therapy-lab-grown-chicken-and-humans-toll-wildlife

Animals are dying in droves.  What are they telling us?
https://newrepublic.com/article/172221/animals-dying-sea-lions