'Blue' coral

[reefmonitor at eureka.lk]

Regarding the 'blue' colouration you observed in corals in the Maldives - we
have observed this a lot recently in association with the extensive
bleaching over the past two months.  It seems likely that the bluish colour
is the residual colour of the polyp tissue after zooxanthellae have been
expelled. If so, mortality in these corals is not necessarily a foregone
conclusion as your dive rep suggested. We hope to be able to report rates of
mortality/recovery following bleaching at sites in Maldives and Sri Lanka
within a few weeks.

Sincerely,

--------------
Jason Rubens
Regional Co-ordinator
GCRMN South Asia
IOC-UNESCO/ UNEP/ IUCN

48 Vajira Road
Colombo 5
Sri Lanka
Tel: + 94 74 511166
Fax: + 94 1 580202