[Coral-List] Areas of Potential Bleaching in North Pacific

[Mark Eakin]

A large warm anomaly continues in the Central Pacific centered on  
Howland and Baker Islands.  The region is currently accumulating  
Degree Heating Weeks (HotSpot values >1) and is at Alert Level 1 (DHW  
 >4) throughout the central region of the warming.  Weaker warming  
continues west to South Tarawa.

A small region to the east of Guam is also under Bleaching Warning  
(DHW >0) with positive HotSpot values all around Guam.  However,  
based on our new experimental winds products (soon to be released), a  
large region around Guam is currently experiencing doldrum-like  
conditions that could increase the likelihood of bleaching.

Much of the tropical North Pacific has HotSpot values between 0 and  
1.  This warming is consistent with NOAA observations and forecasts  
that El Nino conditions are developing in the Pacific.

Our 24 index sites around the globe can be found at:
http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/CB_indices/
coral_bleaching_indices.html

Current HotSpot and Degree Heating Week charts, HDF data, and
GoogleEarth products can be found at:
http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/index.html

Please reporting any bleaching events (or non-events) at
http://www.reefbase.org/input/bleachingreport/index.asp

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
------------------------
C. Mark Eakin, Ph.D.
Coordinator, 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 5308
1335 East West Hwy
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226
301-713-2857 x109                   Fax: 301-713-3136