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Status of Caribbean coral reefs after bleaching and hurricanes in 2005

Status of Caribbean coral reefs after bleaching and hurricanes in 2005

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<strong>Status</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Caribbean</strong> Coral Reefs <strong>after</strong> Bleach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> Hurricanes <strong>in</strong> <strong>2005</strong>22-Nov-05 The SBA alert level for the U.S. Virg<strong>in</strong> Isl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> Puerto Rico has been reduced toNo Stress. It seems the <strong>bleach<strong>in</strong>g</strong> here is f<strong>in</strong>ally over. The big question is whether the <strong>coral</strong>scan recover.28-Nov-05 Is this a case <strong>of</strong> ‘hit them while they’re down’? Outbreaks <strong>of</strong> white plague have beenrecorded <strong>in</strong> a variety <strong>of</strong> species <strong>in</strong> both the U.S. Virg<strong>in</strong> Isl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> the southwest <strong>of</strong> Puerto Rico.The outbreaks are most <strong>in</strong>tense <strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong>fshore waters where the depth is 15 m or more. Thoughthe progress <strong>of</strong> the disease has slowed as temperatures have dropped, some <strong>coral</strong> deaths havebeen attributed to the disease. Black b<strong>and</strong> disease has been seen <strong>in</strong> the British Virg<strong>in</strong> Isl<strong>and</strong>s.01-Dec-05 The <strong>2005</strong> Hurricane season <strong>of</strong>ficially ended, with a record 26 named storms,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g a record 13 <strong>hurricanes</strong> (5 <strong>of</strong> which were severe). This was the first time <strong>in</strong> historythat the seasonal list <strong>of</strong> names was exhausted <strong>and</strong> the back-up Greek letter system had to beused.16-Dec-05 Mixed reports; no sight<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> <strong>bleach<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>in</strong> Bermuda; some totally bleached coloniesat Gr<strong>and</strong> Cayman Isl<strong>and</strong> but no mortality. At La Parguera, Puerto Rico, while most <strong>coral</strong>s havebegun to recover their color, some rema<strong>in</strong> completely white <strong>and</strong> there has been high mortalityamong Elkhorn, Staghorn <strong>and</strong> Millepora <strong>coral</strong>s.21-Dec-05 Most nearshore <strong>coral</strong>s <strong>in</strong> Colombia are dead, while <strong>coral</strong>s 100 m <strong>of</strong>fshore haveexperienced outbreaks <strong>of</strong> various diseases.30-Dec-05 Tropical Storm Zeta has formed, miss<strong>in</strong>g the record <strong>of</strong> the latest ever to form by 6hours. It f<strong>in</strong>ally dissipated on 6 January 2006.03-Jan-06 Bleach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the Flower Garden Banks NMS is down to 10% <strong>of</strong> colonies; however,white plague symptoms have been observed <strong>in</strong> more than 2%.31-Jan-06 Coral mortality levels <strong>in</strong> Mart<strong>in</strong>ique have hit 18%. The mortality is likely to be theresult <strong>of</strong> an outbreak <strong>of</strong> white plague.03-Mar-06 One up, one down. Bleach<strong>in</strong>g now only affects 5% <strong>of</strong> colonies <strong>in</strong> the Flower GardenBanks NMS, but the <strong>in</strong>cidence <strong>of</strong> white plague has risen to around 7%, with up to 20% <strong>of</strong>colonies <strong>in</strong>fected <strong>in</strong> localized areas.08-May-06 Are <strong>Caribbean</strong> <strong>reefs</strong> disappear<strong>in</strong>g? Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) <strong>and</strong> Staghorn (A.cervicornis) <strong>coral</strong>s will be listed as threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.This is the first time any <strong>coral</strong> species have been <strong>of</strong>ficially classed as endangered. Let’s hope wedon’t see another year like this anytime soon.16-Oct-06 Corals at some locations are still bleached. Most researchers have ended monitor<strong>in</strong>g<strong>of</strong> mortality from <strong>2005</strong>, as it has become too difficult to dist<strong>in</strong>guish damage from the <strong>2005</strong>warm<strong>in</strong>g from later stress.Au t h o r Co n ta c t sJessica Morgan, Scott Heron <strong>and</strong> Mark Eak<strong>in</strong>, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, 1335 East WestHwy, Silver Spr<strong>in</strong>g MD 20910, USA. jessica.morgan@noaa.gov, scott.heron@noaa.gov <strong>and</strong>mark.eak<strong>in</strong>@noaa.gov.44

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