[Coral-List] Re: Meandrina meandrites Bleaching, Boynton Beach, FL

[goreau]

Dear Ed,

	Nice work!

	You are completely right  that Meandrina is a particularly 
strong and predictable bleacher, but this is long known.  That is why 
my parents used it to experimentally determine the physiological, 
cellular, and biochemical  effects of bleaching on corals 50 years 
go. Since those days we have noticed it to undergo regular seasonal 
paling in warm seasons. This, like so much else,  has been ignored by 
the current generation of reef  "scientists" who do not know or 
respect the old knowledge. so that  they can "discover" it.

	For 15 years now we've been able to predict when, where, and 
how bad bleaching will be in almost all cases worldwide  from 
satellite data alone, before it can be seen in the field, using our 
HotSpot method (Goreau, 1989, Goreau et al. 1991, Goreau & Hayes, 
1994, and much more).

	The Southeast  Florida area had  a well developed HotSpot 
this year, and Dan Clark noticed marked bleaching underway in Broward 
County over  a month ago, coincident with your observations. This 
HotSpot was completely dissipated by the reduced sunshine and strong 
vertical mixing that accompanied the hurricane, so we are predicting 
rapid recovery except for Palythoa, which will linger, as usual.

	Best wishes,

	Tom





>For the 5th year in a row bleaching of Meandrina meandrites colonies 
>offshore of Boynton Beach, FL (26 30 00 N, 80 02 00 W) is occurring. 
>This is an annual event with the colonies fully recovering by the 
>beginning of December. I have setup a website 
><http://hometown.aol.com/etichscuba/page1.html>Maze Coral Bleaching 
>(http://hometown.aol.com/etichscuba/page1.html) to provide updates 
>regarding this 2004 bleaching episode. I am a scuba diver and not a 
>coral scientist. I am not aware of a similar, predictable cycle 
>elsewhere. I would be interested in your comments and will be more 
>than happy to provide with any information you request.
>Ed Tichenor


-- 
Dr. Thomas J. Goreau
President
Global Coral Reef Alliance
37 Pleasant Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
telephone:  617-864-4226, 617-864-0433
E-mail:	goreau at bestweb.net
Web site:	http://www.globalcoral.org