[Coral-List] only light bleaching on Tutuila, American Samoa, in February

[Douglas Fenner]

     From Feb 6 to Feb 22, a team of 4 of us surveyed coral reef areas in
Fagatele Bay, which is part of the National Marine Sanctuary, on Tutuila,
American Samoa.  I saw bleaching, but not much.  There were scattered
colonies that were partly or fully bleached.  There are now some large
staghorn thickets, and there were a few places where they were "frosted"
with slight bleaching.  I did not take quantitative data, but I would
estimate that perhaps 1% of corals were bleaching.  I cannot remember
seeing any recently dead (white) corals, though I saw some that were old
dead (covered with algae).  I concluded that bleaching was beginning.  We
had had an extended period of very cloudy weather, at least a month, and
perhaps closer to 2 months, which may have reduced the heat and light
stress on the corals, which were predicted to be in VERY heavy heat
stress.  I do not know of reports of bleaching or lack of bleaching on
slopes here since then, and I have not been in the water.  I just sent my
information to NOAA Coral Reef Watch.  They use reports of bleaching and
lack of bleaching to help them refine their models.  They help ALL of us
and the reefs by reporting heat stress on reefs around the world and even
predicting future bleaching.  I'm old enough to remember when there was no
such thing.  It is fabulous to have that, I think it is super helpful.

       I urge people to check NOAA Coral Reef Watch
https://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/index.php    to see what the heat
stress is like in their area and what the predictions are for your area for
the near future.  It is even MORE IMPORTANT to get into the water regularly
and monitor the actual bleaching, taking observations and if bleaching is
present ideally taking quantitative measures of the percentage of colonies
bleached.  Please report any observations, of bleaching or no bleaching, to
NOAA Coral Reef Watch by email at coralreefwatch at noaa.gov
<coralreefwatch at noaa.gov?subject=[Coral%20Bleaching%20Observations%20and%20Data]>


It would also be helpful to post on coral-list bleaching observations.
That helps alert people to what is going on.

This is important!!!  Thank you!!
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

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