[Coral-List] Potential Bleaching Alert: El Nino heating up central Pacific

Mark Eakin Mark.Eakin at noaa.gov
Thu Jan 11 11:20:00 EST 2007


Here at Coral Reef Watch we have been watching an area of warming  
develop in the mid-tropical Pacific.

Howland and Baker Islands
Thermal stress in the area of Howland and Baker Islands has reached  
Degree Heating Week (DHW) values of 15-18.  However, HotSpots have  
currently dropped to less than 1, so no further DHW accumulation is  
taking place at this time.

Kiribati - Gilbert Islands
Thermal stress in this region is still warming with temperatures  
above the bleaching threshold.  DHW values of 5-10 are being felt in  
this area and are rising.

Solomon Islands
Calm winds for more than a week in the region east of Honiara and  
north of Ndeno are contributing to a large HotSpot region.  DHW  
values are still below alert levels (>4), but a Bleaching Warning is  
now in effect for the reefs around the Santa Cruz Islands.

We encourage anyone working in this region to report either bleaching  
or non-bleaching in this area at:
http://www.reefbase.org/contribute/bleachingreport.aspx

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
with the image of the central Pacific located at: http:// 
www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/data2/dhwp.1.9.2007.gif

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
------------------------
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 Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226
301-713-2857 x109                   Fax: 301-713-3136





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