[Coral-List] New warming in the Caribbean

[Mark Eakin - NOAA Federal]

Fortunately, temperatures have cooled off around Florida. However, our new 5-km products are showing narrow rims of warming capable of causing bleaching in a few areas:

Bahamas: We are seeing warming along the entire western coast of Andros Island, between North and South Andros, and to the south of South Andros. Some spots, especially North Andros have reached Bleaching Alert Level 2, most of the regions mentioned are seeing Alert Level 1.

Turks and Caicos: Bleaching Warning

Cuba: the central part of the northern coast is seeing a mix of Bleaching Alert Levels 1 & 2.

US VIrgin Islands: Bleaching Warning

Mesoamerican Barrier Reef: Bleaching Warning

Panama & Colombia: Bleaching warning along the Caribbean coast of most of Panama with Alert level 2 around the border between the two countries.

All of this can be seen in our new 5-km products at http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/bleaching5km/index.php. We are working on regional products for other areas currently not covered and will put them online as soon as they are ready.

Fortunately our Seasonal Bleaching Outlook doesn’t call for severe warming over the next couple of months, but keep an eye out for changing conditions.
http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite/bleachingoutlook_cfs/outlook_cfs.php

Please send all bleaching observations to coralreefwatch at noaa.gov and/or the NOAA/ReefBase collaborative online bleaching report  form: http://www.reefbase.org/contribute/bleachingreport.aspx. Your bleaching observations (including observations of no bleaching) are greatly appreciated. Should you have any questions or feedback on our Coral Reef Watch products, please send an e-mail to coralreefwatch at noaa.gov.


Cheers,
Mark


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction (NCWCP)
5830 University Research Ct., E/RA32
College Park, MD 20740
Office: (301) 683-3320     Fax: (301) 683-3301
Mobile: (301) 502-8608    SOCD Office: (301) 683-3300

“As we recognize the scientific evidence that the earth is experiencing a warming trend over the past 100 years and that this trend may have serious consequences for the future, we favor reducing carbon loading in the atmosphere as a bold forward step and a positive public value." 
Congressman Newt Gingrich, A Contract with the Earth, 2007