[Coral-List] Information about photograph gallery posted yesterday

[Melissa Keyes]

  Dear Listers,
   
  Here's some information about the gallery of coral photos that I posted yesterday, 12/08/05.
   
  The location is Cane Bay, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Caribbean Sea.  The depths range from 2.6 Meters for the Millepora, to 30.5 meters for the large "Plate" coral. The temperature for all of these particular photos in the file I posted yesterday, 12/08/05, is 26.7 c (80 f).  The high temperature this season that I recorded, for more than a week, all the way to 38.4 meters, was 30 c (86 f).  The M.cavernosa started showing stress then.
   
  I only have names guessed from these photographs.  C. natans is easy, as is M. cavernosa.  The "Plate" corals, and corals like the little coral that I have a half decent series of its' bleaching and dying, are rather ambiguous in their visual appearance, so I will decline naming them.  
   
  I endeavor to improve my photographic and diving skills so that I can take ever better photographs.  While sorting through my files of pictures, I chastise myself for not taking perfect photos.  But anyone experienced at this skill can tell you how extremely difficult and frustrating underwater photography is.  I dread the coming of May when those Jiggling Specks (not Mysid shrimp, perhaps blooms of Copepods) will all but obscure some subjects.  
   
  For the rest of this winter, the seas will mostly be rough, and surge will be a grand problem.  My digital camera does not take "instant" photos like film cameras.  
   
  But, anyway, I hope the pictures are a bit interesting.  I will update these corals' progress.  I have no plans to stop taking photos  And thank you for looking, there were 1,202 hits on that site yesterday.
   
  Cheers,
   
  Melissa Keyes




			
---------------------------------
Yahoo! Shopping
 Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Yahoo! Shopping