[Coral-List] U.S. Virgin Island Potential Bleaching Event - "Heads up"

Gang Liu Gang.Liu at noaa.gov
Wed Sep 10 14:27:59 EDT 2003


U.S. Virgin Island Potential Bleaching Event - "Heads up"

Anomalously high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have been developing
over a large area of the North Atlantic Ocean since July and now are
present over most of the Caribbean Sea.
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot.html

The SST at U.S. Virgin Island has been creeping up above the summertime
maximum monthly mean SST since mid-August and now is approaching the
bleaching threshold.
http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/orad/sub/sst_series_virgin_cur.html

Our Degree Heating Week chart shows that DHW has stated to accumulate at
U.S. Virgin Island. There is a potential for bleaching if SST continues
to rise in the area.
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/dhw_retro.html

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 WARNING  for  Virgin Island
===============================================================

Current thermal stress level at this site:
                       (HotSpot => 1) and (0 < DHW <= 4)

Reef site name:           Virgin Island
 -- Pixel latitude:         18.0000
 -- Pixel longitude:       -64.0000

Current satellite observations:   9/6/2003 - 9/9/2003
 -- Sea surface temperature          :      29.4000  Deg C
 -- Coral bleaching HotSpot          :      1.10000  Deg C
 -- Bleaching Degree Heating Weeks   :     0.500000  Deg C-week
 -- Maximum Monthly Mean SST at site :      28.3000  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)

 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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