[Coral-List] GUAM Potential Bleaching Event - "Heads up"

Robert van Woesik rvw at fit.edu
Wed Aug 27 12:30:03 EDT 2003


Gang,

One of my PhD students, Peter Houk, is on one of the NOAA research
vessels  surveying the Northern Mariana Islands (north of Guam). Here is
a direct quote from his email message this morning (August 27, 2003):

...At present, there is a major bleaching event ... over 50% of the
coral colonies in my survey are bleached or fluorescent...

Regards

Rob van Woesik




-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Gang Liu
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 12:43 PM
To: Coral List
Subject: [Coral-List] GUAM Potential Bleaching Event - "Heads up"


Anomalously high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have been developing
over a large area of the Northwest Pacific Ocean since early July.
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html

The SST at Guam has been creeping up above the summertime maximum
monthly mean SST since mid-July and now is approaching the bleaching
threshold.
http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/orad/sub/sst_series_guam_cur.html

Our Degree Heating Week chart shows that Guam is just outside the area
with accumulated DHW. There is a potential for bleaching at Guam if SST
continues to rise in the area.
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/data2/dhwa.8.25.2003.gif

Any feedback you can provide is useful: both bleaching or non-bleaching
observations, are welcome.

We, NOAA's Coral Reef Watch Project, are developing an automatated coral
bleaching email warning system. The warning is derived based on our
satellite monitoring using satellite HotSpot and Degree Heating Weeks
algorithms. The email will be sent out to region-relevant recipients for
notification at selected reef sites. The list of region-relevant
recipients and list of selected reef sites are under development. A test
message of bleaching watch for Guam is shown below. Please make
comments/suggestions on this automatated email alert, both the content
and mode of
broadcasting how we might send out these warnings.

================================================================
**          BLEACHING WATCH  for  Guam
================================================================

Current thermal stress level at this site:  0 < HotSpot < 1

 Reef site name:           Guam
  -- Pixel latitude:         13.5000
  -- Pixel longitude:        146.000

 Current satellite observations:   8/19/2003 - 8/23/2003
  -- Sea surface temperature          :      30.0000  Deg C
  -- Coral bleaching HotSpot          :     0.700000  Deg C
  -- Bleaching Degree Heating Weeks   :      0.00000  Deg C-week
  -- Maximum Monthly Mean SST at site :      29.3000  Deg C

 For more information please visit Coral Reef Watch's Website:
 http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/orad/coral_bleaching_index.html
 http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/dhw_news.html

 ================================================================

 Please send the feebback to Alan Strong (Alan.E.Strong at noaa.gov) and/or
Gang Liu (Gang.Liu at noaa.gov)


 Alan E Strong
 Coral Reef Watch Project
 http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/orad/coral_bleaching_index.html





--
=========================================
 Gang Liu, Ph.D.
 Senior Research Scientist/Oceanographer
 (Decision Systems Technologies, Inc.)
 NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program
 NOAA/NESDIS/ORA E/RA31
 SSMC1, #5307
 1335 East-West Highway
 Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226

 Tel: 301-713-9386 ext 131
 Fax: 301-713-3136
 Email: Gang.Liu at noaa.gov
=========================================


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