[Coral-List] NEED ADVICE!! - ACTIVE MORTALITY EVENT AT FLOWER GARDENS!

Thu Jul 28 11:06:49 EDT 2016

Dear all,

Are you sure that this has nothing to do with anoxic / dead zone?
First of all I thought that this might be a corresponding event of
dinoflagellates + abnormal high temperature which led to a production of
toxic secondary metabolites. But Steve told me, that the bacterial(?) mats
are white, not gold / brown.
As far as I know, those white bacterial(?) blooms correlate often with
anoxic events.
(When you import live rock for reef tanks and the rocks had too less water
/ air in the boxes you sometimes have white mats of bacteria.)

Kind regards,
Ruediger

Am 28.07.2016 16:41 schrieb "Judith Lang" <jlang at riposi.net>:

> Hi everyone,
> A nightmare indeed; condolences from all of us who treasure the Flower
> Garden Bank reefs.
>
> Although 86F (30C) isn’t extravagently high, I think this is about the
> annual warmest temperature on the banks and, if so, it might already be
> above the seasonal average for mid-summer.
>
> Lynton Land (my husband) immediately asked if the Gulf dead zone might
> have impacted this area. Told him I’m pretty sure the banks are too far
> offshore to be under its influence, but weather patterns over the continent
> have been unusual this year, so maybe that’s another straw at which to
> grasp….At least a NOAA vessel should be tracking its movements around the
> Gulf this week (http://www.noaa.gov/average-
> ‘dead-zone’-gulf-mexico-predicted).
>
> Les,
> Please quickly clarify how to preserve affected tissues for metagenomic
> analyses for Emma and her team.
>
> Judy
>
> Judy Lang
> AGRRA Scientific Coordinator
>
>
> > On Jul 28, 2016, at 9:45 AM, Kaufman, Leslie S <lesk at bu.edu> wrote:
> >
> > Hey Bill.
> >
> > Oh, wow- the nightmare. It’s like when something bad afoot finally
> reaches out to an actual family member.
> >
> > OK.
> >
> > Emma and GP- beside what you’d already mentioned, I suggest preserving
> affected tissues for metagenomic analysis (DNA and mRNA).  We do not have
> to run them, but as the situation clarifies, sequence and transcriptomic
> data could be clinchers.
> >
> > It doesn’t sound like temperature, but of course thermal data will be
> important- if there are loggers out might be wise to download them just to
> make sure the data are secure.
> >
> > Might be worth talking to Esther Peters for instructions on histological
> preservation, but since this is a cross-taxon mass-kill most of the
> pathology will likely just indicate (superficially) that the critters are
> sick and dying, not necessarily how come.
> >
> > I think a brief moratorium during close monitoring are justified as a
> cautionary move.  This won’t be fun.
> >
> > There has not been any oil spotted in the area, right?  Because that is
> one thing that this sounds like.  Have there ever been seeps observed
> actually within the reef caps on either E or W?  Grasping at straws here….
> >
> > Les
> >
> >
> >
> > Les Kaufman
> > Professor of Biology
> > Boston University Marine Program
> > Faculty Fellow, Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future
> > and
> > Conservation Fellow
> > Betty and Gordon Moore Center for Science
> > Conservation International
> > lesk at bu.edu <mailto:lesk at bu.edu>
> >
> >
> >
> > On Jul 28, 2016, at 9:17 AM, William Precht <william.precht at gmail.com
> <mailto:william.precht at gmail.com>> wrote:
> >
> >> This made me ill while reading:-(
> >>
> >> Sent from my iPhone
> >>
> >> Begin forwarded message:
> >>
> >>> From: James Hendee <jim.hendee at noaa.gov <mailto:jim.hendee at noaa.gov>>
> >>> Date: July 28, 2016 at 6:30:36 AM EDT
> >>> To: Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <mailto:
> coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>
> >>> Subject: [Coral-List] NEED ADVICE!! - ACTIVE MORTALITY EVENT AT FLOWER
> GARDENS!
> >>>
> >>> Greetings,
> >>>
> >>>    Dr. Gittings' message was incorrectly formatted (image was
> >>> attached), but due to the emergency nature of the message, I am posting
> >>> this for him.  Please note this is from him, and to contact him for any
> >>> feedback (i.e., not me).
> >>>
> >>>    Thanks!
> >>>    Jim
> >>>
> >>> Subject:
> >>> NEED ADVICE!! - ACTIVE MORTALITY EVENT AT FLOWER GARDENS!
> >>> From:
> >>> Steve Gittings - NOAA Federal <steve.gittings at noaa.gov <mailto:
> steve.gittings at noaa.gov>>
> >>> Date:
> >>> 7/27/16, 5:08 PM
> >>>
> >>> To:
> >>> "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>"
> <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <mailto:coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>>,
> >>> Cheryl Woodley - NOAA Federal <cheryl.woodley at noaa.gov <mailto:
> cheryl.woodley at noaa.gov>>, _NOS ONMS
> >>> Leadership Team <onmslt at noaa.gov <mailto:onmslt at noaa.gov>>, _NOS ONMS
> Conservation Science
> >>> Division <onmscsd at noaa.gov <mailto:onmscsd at noaa.gov>>, nmsprc at noaa.gov
> <mailto:nmsprc at noaa.gov>, Ed Levine - NOAA Federal
> >>> <ed.levine at noaa.gov <mailto:ed.levine at noaa.gov>>, Lisa Symons <
> Lisa.Symons at noaa.gov <mailto:Lisa.Symons at noaa.gov>>, Edward
> >>> Lindelof - NOAA Federal <edward.lindelof at noaa.gov <mailto:
> edward.lindelof at noaa.gov>>, Bill Goodwin - NOAA
> >>> Federal <Bill.Goodwin at noaa.gov <mailto:Bill.Goodwin at noaa.gov>>, Bill
> Precht <bill.precht at noaa.gov <mailto:bill.precht at noaa.gov>>,
> >>> "Boland, Gregory S" <Gregory.Boland at boem.gov <mailto:
> Gregory.Boland at boem.gov>>, William Kiene
> >>> <william.kiene at noaa.gov <mailto:william.kiene at noaa.gov>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I just got a call from Emma Hickerson, Research Coordinator for the
> >>> Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.  She's on the East
> Flower
> >>> Garden Bank and reports what appears to be an unprecedented mass dieoff
> >>> of numerous species of at least corals, sea urchins, brittle stars, and
> >>> sponges over a large area.  She says large mats of tissue are sloughing
> >>> off and there appear to be large bacterial mats on the bottom.  Large
> >>> amounts of material and haze in the water is making for virtually zero
> >>> visibility in some places.  Water temperature is 86F.  She isn't
> certain
> >>> of areal coverage, but believes it to be affecting the areas containing
> >>> at least three mooring buoys (4, 5, and 6).  I believe these buoys are
> >>> about 100 m from one another.  She did not see it at Buoy 2 (the
> >>> long-term monitoring study site), which is on the east edge of the reef
> >>> a similar distance away.  They will continue survey and do random drops
> >>> to determine the extent.
> >>>
> >>> 1) Emma would like advice on collection and preservation of materials..
> >>> They have ethanol, formalin, and freezer space on board, but I don't
> >>> know about other details (jars, etc.)
> >>>
> >>> 2) Does anyone believe that an emergency closure is warranted to reduce
> >>> spread of the problem by divers, or for any other reason?
> >>>
> >>> 3) They are disinfecting dive gear, I believe with a vinegar solution..
> >>> Any additional suggestions on better or additional protocols?
> >>>
> >>> Thanks very much for any advice.  I can pass it along to the field crew
> >>> via sat phone.
> >>>
> >>> Steve
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Dr. Steve Gittings, Science Coordinator
> >>> NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
> >>> 1305 East West Hwy., N/ORM62
> >>> Silver Spring, MD  20910
> >>> (240) 533-0708 (w), (301) 529-1854 (c)
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> Coral-List mailing list
> >>> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov <mailto:Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
> >>> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list <
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list>
> >
>
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