[Coral-List] Requesting Data on 2005 Caribbean Bleaching

[Mark Eakin]

Since the link seems to have broken in transit, the website is
http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/caribbean2005

Cheers,
Mark

On Dec 6, 2005, at 12:10 PM, Mark Eakin wrote:

> Many of you have seen either previous e-mails or have been cross- 
> listed on this one. I apologize for cross-listing, but we need to  
> get information out as widely as possible.
>
> As you know, high ocean temperatures in 2005 have resulted in a  
> major coral bleaching event that is underway in the Caribbean, and  
> may result in significant coral death in much of the region.   
> Thermal stress has reached Degree Heating Week (DHWs) values of  
> over 15 at some locations.  Bleaching reports have been coming in  
> from much of the Caribbean and western North Atlantic. The US Coral  
> Reef Task Force (USCRTF) passed a resolution in Palau calling for  
> mobilizing efforts across the region to monitor and assess short-  
> and long-term impacts of the 2005 Caribbean warming and bleaching  
> event.  The USCRTF Bleaching Committee has held conference calls to  
> bring together and solicit input from NOAA and DOI personnel, as  
> well as other federal agencies, NGO partners, and local Caribbean  
> scientists and managers.  The NOAA points of contact are Dr. Mark  
> Eakin (NESDIS) and Dr. Tom Hourigan (NMFS).  The outcomes of the  
> initial meetings include the development of a 3-phase response  
> approach (including an initial response, near-term reporting and  
> assessment, and long-term monitoring) and identification of key  
> partners, resources, and issues.  More details about how we reached  
> this point are found in documents on the website (below).
>
> A part of the first phase is to identify and assess bleaching  
> severity throughout the region.  I am collating these reports with  
> the plan to produce a multi-author, quick paper to Science or  
> Nature that documents the event.  From there, I am sure that more  
> publications will follow.  Everyone who provides data that are used  
> in the analysis of the event will be included as an author on the  
> resulting paper(s).  Our intent is to provide the broad, Caribbean- 
> wide analysis, comparing the thermal stress recorded from  
> satellites with local observations of bleaching and temperatures.   
> That publication will only include summaries of the information  
> that you submit.  We hope that all of our collaborators will  
> produce more detailed national or local analyses to further  
> document the event.
>
> To collect the details needed for the first analysis and to  
> establish a baseline for follow-up work, a spreadsheet  
> questionnaire has been developed for bleaching reports.  We will be  
> sending this to everyone that has submitted reports to ReefBase or  
> Coral-List as well as numerous contacts throughout the region. The  
> form, along with information from the US Coral Reef Task Force,  
> NOAA meetings held to date, and more, are available for download at  
> the website http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/caribbean2005.
>
> Please download the questionnaire (an Excel file) and submit any  
> data that you have to coralreefwatch at noaa.gov.  As you will see  
> from the form, some of the information that we are requesting is  
> not found on the ReefBase form.  All of your responses will be  
> coordinated with ReefBase unless you indicate otherwise.  Please  
> note that we are only seeking quantitative reports for this  
> analysis.  Casual reports of bleaching (as well as quantitative  
> reports) can still be submitted to the ReefBase-NOAA reporting site  
> at http://www.reefbase.org/input/bleachingreport/index.asp). I  
> apologize for the informality of this broad e-mail, but everything  
> is moving very quickly and we need to publish an assessment of the  
> event very soon.
>
> By the way, we are also discussing a special session on this for  
> the ITMEMS-3 meeting next year.  Since it will be in Cozumel  
> October 2006, the location and timing would be perfect to bring us  
> all together (http://www.icriforum.org/itmems3/itmems.html).
>
> Please feel free to pass this along to appropriate colleagues.  We  
> look forward to your help in assessing this event.
>
> Thanks to all of you for your help,
> Mark
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> --------------------------
> C. Mark Eakin, Ph.D.
> NOAA Coral Reef Watch
> National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
> Center for Satellite Applications and Research
> Satellite Oceanography & Climate Division
> e-mail: mark.eakin at noaa.gov
> url: coralreefwatch.noaa.gov
>
> E/RA31, SSMC1, Room 5306
> 1335 East West Hwy
> Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226
> 301-713-2857 x109                   Fax: 301-713-3136
>
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>

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
------------------------
C. Mark Eakin, Ph.D.
NOAA Coral Reef Watch
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Center for Satellite Applications and Research
Satellite Oceanography & Climate Division
e-mail: mark.eakin at noaa.gov
url: coralreefwatch.noaa.gov

E/RA31, SSMC1, Room 5306
1335 East West Hwy
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226
301-713-2857 x109                   Fax: 301-713-3136