[Coral-List] Requesting Data on 2005 Caribbean Event: Coral Bleaching, Disease, and Mortality

[Jessica A. Morgan]

   Dear Colleagues,

   Thanks  very  much  to those who have previously submitted data on the
   2005  Caribbean  bleaching event (and apologies for cross-posting this
   on many lists!).  This basin-scale coral bleaching has become the most
   thoroughly  documented  mass bleaching event in history.  While we are
   saddened  to  see  the  full extent of the damage, particularly in the
   Lesser  Antilles,  we  are  proud of the fine monitoring effort across
   over 20 countries that has yielded such a tremendous data set.

   In  early  2006,  NOAA  Coral  Reef  Watch  collected data on the main
   bleaching event, from before, during, and immediately after the period
   June  2005-January  2006.   We  have  been analyzing the large dataset
   (over 3600 observations!), and have prepared a draft of a multi-author
   paper  to  Nature  that  documents the event.  From there, we are 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  you  and  all of our collaborators will
   produce  more  detailed national or local analyses to further document
   the event.
   To  comprehensively  capture the entire impact of the bleaching event,
   we  are  now  requesting  any  follow-on data that you might have.  In
   particular,  we  need  any  quantitative measurements of coral disease
   incidence  and  mortality  following bleaching.  While bleaching is an
   important  phenomenon,  it is mortality that makes the greatest impact
   on  the  ecosystem.   The  paper  to  Nature needs to capture not only
   bleaching, but the full impact of the thermal stress on coral reefs of
   the Caribbean.
   While we already have good coverage in many countries, there are a few
   areas  that  we  have  little  or  no  data from.  We are particularly
   looking for data from the following:

     Anguilla
     Antigua and Barbuda
     Aruba
     Bahamas
     Bonaire
     Costa Rica
     Curacao
     Dominican Republic
     Grand Cayman
     Grenada
     Guadeloupe
     Guatemala
     Haiti
     Honduras
     Montserrat
     Nicaragua
     Saint Martin and Sint-Marteen
     Saint-Barthélemy
     St. Kitts and Nevis
     St. Lucia
     St. Vincent
     Trinidad
     Turks and Caicos

   If  you  have not previously submitted data to us, please download the
   spreadsheet   questionnaire  for  bleaching,  disease,  and  mortality
   reports from the website
   [1]http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/caribbean2005.    The  website  also
   includes  information from the US Coral Reef Task Force, NOAA meetings
   and  workshops  held  to  date,  and  more.   If you have any problems
   downloading  the  form, please email me directly and I will send it to
   you  via  email.  Once you have completed the form, please send it via
   email to me at [2]Jessica.Morgan at noaa.gov.
   Please  note  that  we  are only seeking quantitative reports for this
   analysis.   Casual  reports  of  bleaching, disease, and mortality (as
   well   as   quantitative  reports)  can  still  be  submitted  to  the
   ReefBase-NOAA reporting site at
   [3]http://www.reefbase.org/contribute/bleachingreport.aspx.

   Please  feel  free  to  pass this along to appropriate colleagues.  We
   look forward to your further help in assessing this event.

   Thanks to all of you for your help,
   Jessica Morgan
   and Mark Eakin
--
Jessica A. Morgan
Operations Manager, NOAA Coral Reef Watch
IMSG at NOAA/NESDIS/STAR/SOCD
E/RA31, SSMC1, Room 5309, 1335 East West Hwy
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3226
Phone: (301) 713-2857 x129      Fax: (301) 713-3136
Email: [4]Jessica.Morgan at noaa.gov  Web: coralreefwatch.noaa.gov

References

   1. http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/caribbean2005
   2. mailto:Jessica.Morgan at noaa.gov
   3. http://www.reefbase.org/contribute/bleachingreport.aspx
   4. mailto:Jessica.Morgan at noaa.gov