|
|
|
|
A major coral bleaching event occurred in the Caribbean in mid- to late-2005, and may result in significant coral death in much of the region. Anomalously warm water centered around the northern Antilles near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico expanded southward (see Figure 1, below). Thermal stress reached Degree Heating Week (DHW) values of over 15 at some locations. Comparison with the previous 20 years of satellite data confirm that thermal stress from this event was greater than the previous 20 years combined. Data from the NOAA Coral Reef Watch Satellite Bleaching Alert monitoring system first warned of possible bleaching conditions in the Florida Keys in late August and alerts were issued for both Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands starting in early October. Corresponding with these alerts, reports have come in from much of the Caribbean and western North Atlantic (Figure 2 and table, below). Many of the reports below are qualitative, but quantitative bleaching data being analyzed now show that this is clearly an important, widespread event. Reports from ReefBase, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, and direct contributions to NOAA Coral Reef Watch are being compiled to pull together a comprehensive report on this event. This effort is supported by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and the US Coral Reef Task Force. GCRMN Report on 2005 Hurricanes and Bleaching In January 2008, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and its partners released a book called Status of Caribbean Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes 2005. This report synthesizes observations of coral bleaching and mortality from more than 70 coral reef workers and volunteer divers to summarize the current status of reefs in the Wider Caribbean. More importantly, the book seeks to provide information to coral reef managers and decision makers to aid in the search for solutions to arrest the coral reef decline. Download a PDF of the entire report (4.2MB) The US federal government's coordinated response Several agencies have come together to coordinate the federal response to this bleaching event: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). See the items below for details. NEW Call for Data - GCRMN Special Report on "STATUS OF CARIBBEAN CORAL REEFS AFTER BLEACHING AND HURRICANES IN 2005 AND 2006"(PDF) NEW Download the Data Request spreadsheet for the GCRMN Special Report (XLS) NEW ITMEMS-3 Workshop, Cozumel, Mexico, "2005 Caribbean Bleaching Event," 15 Oct 2006 NOAA/TNC Workshop, St. Croix, USVI, "Satellite Tools and Bleaching Response," 23-25 Jan 2006 US Federal response to the 2005 Caribbean bleaching event, 2 May 2006 (PDF) USGS/NPS response to coral bleaching in US Virgin Islands National Parks (PDF) NOAA's response to the 2005 Caribbean bleaching event, 19 Apr 2006 (PDF) Meeting notes on NOAA's coordinated response strategy, 16 Nov 2005 (PDF) Meeting notes on NOAA's coordinated response strategy, 23 Nov 2005 (PDF) US Coral Reef Task Force resolution, 7 Nov 2005 (PDF) NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program's draft response, 4 Nov 2005 (PDF) Press coverage
We are pleased to note that this event has led to significant press
coverage. A few representative articles are listed below. Note that listing
here does not constitute endorsement of the external site; these links are for
information only.
Bleaching Reports:
Caribbean Bleaching and Disease Workshop: 2005 Event Response and Assessment Cozumel, Mexico, 15 Oct 2006 Coral Reef Watch conducted a half-day workshop at the 3rd International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium (ITMEMS3), in partnership with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), the Global Coral Reef Management Network (GCRMN), and IM Systems Group, Inc (IMSG). The workshop was attended by over 60 coral reef researchers and MPA resource managers. Participants reported on the 2005 Caribbean Bleaching Event, and on coral diseases in the Caribbean. Discussions included (1) next steps in the response and assessment effort for future events in the Caribbean, and (2) a potential series of multi-authored papers and reports by NOAA and GCRMN. Participants were encouraged to submit their data for the upcoming GCRMN Special Report (PDF). Final agenda and list of participants (PDF) Satellite Tools and Bleaching Response Workshop: Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, 23-25 Jan 2006 NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and Coral Reef Watch co-hosted a three-day workshop with The Nature Conservancy, for local marine reserve managers and coral reef researchers. The first half introduced CRW’s satellite data products, helping reef managers to incorporate satellite remote sensing tools into their management protocols. The second half focused on coordinating the ongoing regional response to the 2005 bleaching event. Local managers and researchers reported results from their recent monitoring, forming a more complete picture of the bleaching extent and severity, then discussed data gaps and ongoing coordination. Final agenda (PDF) Final list of participants (Excel) Partners: AGRRA: Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment AMLC: The Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean CARICOMP: Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity Program GCRMN: Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network CoralWatch MBRS: Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Systems Project TNC: The Nature Conservancy ReefBase Reef Check USGS Caribbean Field Station
For more information regarding ongoing research on coral bleaching in ORAD, contact us
|
09 Jul 2006, Mark Trail comic strip features the bleaching event and NOAA's data
