Status of Caribbean coral reefs after bleaching and hurricanes in 2005

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Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 200522-Nov-05 The SBA alert level for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico has been reduced toNo Stress. It seems the bleaching here is finally over. The big question is whether the coralscan recover.28-Nov-05 Is this a case of ‘hit them while they’re down’? Outbreaks of white plague have beenrecorded in a variety of species in both the U.S. Virgin Islands and the southwest of Puerto Rico.The outbreaks are most intense in offshore waters where the depth is 15 m or more. Thoughthe progress of the disease has slowed as temperatures have dropped, some coral deaths havebeen attributed to the disease. Black band disease has been seen in the British Virgin Islands.01-Dec-05 The 2005 Hurricane season officially ended, with a record 26 named storms,including a record 13 hurricanes (5 of which were severe). This was the first time in historythat the seasonal list of names was exhausted and the back-up Greek letter system had to beused.16-Dec-05 Mixed reports; no sightings of bleaching in Bermuda; some totally bleached coloniesat Grand Cayman Island but no mortality. At La Parguera, Puerto Rico, while most corals havebegun to recover their color, some remain completely white and there has been high mortalityamong Elkhorn, Staghorn and Millepora corals.21-Dec-05 Most nearshore corals in Colombia are dead, while corals 100 m offshore haveexperienced outbreaks of various diseases.30-Dec-05 Tropical Storm Zeta has formed, missing the record of the latest ever to form by 6hours. It finally dissipated on 6 January 2006.03-Jan-06 Bleaching in the Flower Garden Banks NMS is down to 10% of colonies; however,white plague symptoms have been observed in more than 2%.31-Jan-06 Coral mortality levels in Martinique have hit 18%. The mortality is likely to be theresult of an outbreak of white plague.03-Mar-06 One up, one down. Bleaching now only affects 5% of colonies in the Flower GardenBanks NMS, but the incidence of white plague has risen to around 7%, with up to 20% ofcolonies infected in localized areas.08-May-06 Are Caribbean reefs disappearing? Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn (A.cervicornis) corals will be listed as threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.This is the first time any coral species have been officially 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 monitoringof mortality from 2005, as it has become too difficult to distinguish damage from the 2005warming from later stress.Au t h o r Co n ta c t sJessica Morgan, Scott Heron and Mark Eakin, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, 1335 East WestHwy, Silver Spring MD 20910, USA. jessica.morgan@noaa.gov, scott.heron@noaa.gov andmark.eakin@noaa.gov.44
5. Stat u s o f t h e Mesoamerican Reef aftert h e 2005 Co r a l Bl e a c h i n g Ev e n tMe l a n i e McField, Na d i a Bo o d, An a Fo n s e c a, Al e ja n d ro Ar r i v i l l aga,Al b e rt Fr a n q u e s a Ri n o s a n d Ro s a Ma r Ía Lo r e to Vi ru e lSu m m a r yzx Mass bleaching events in 1995, 1998 and 2005 have affected the reefs in theMesoamerican Reef (MAR), although the 2005 bleaching resulted in little to no coralmortality;zx The 1995 event caused widespread bleaching, but minimal mortality (~10% ofcolonies had partial mortality in Belize);zx 1998 was the most significant bleaching event for the MAR, combined with acatastrophic hurricane that culminated in about 50% reduction in coral cover inBelize, with somewhat less in the other countries;zx Large-scale bleaching in late 2005 affected most reefs within the MAR, however,coral mortality was lower than in previous years;zx The active 2005 storm season may have contributed to greater mixing of oceanicwaters and minimized ‘doldrum conditions’ that were associated with the previous,more severe bleaching events in the MAR;zx Reefs in Mexico were damaged by Hurricanes Wilma and Emily, but most of the other2005 storms passed through the Yucatan channel into the Gulf of Mexico withoutcausing substantial damage to reefs;zx The devastating coral bleaching and hurricanes of 1998 initiated the planning forpotential adaptation and mitigation strategies into reef management efforts;zx The bleaching and hurricanes in 2005 may have further delayed potential recoveryfrom the bleaching-related losses in 1995 and 1998; andzx Coral cover throughout the region remains moderately low, with little to no overallrecovery from the 1998 losses.45
Page 1 and 2: Stat u s o fCa r i b b e a nCo r a
Page 3 and 4: Dedication: This book is dedicated
Page 5 and 6: Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs aft
Page 25 and 26: Status of Coral Reefs in the Caribb
Page 35 and 36: 3. Hu r r i ca n e s a n d t h e i
Page 37 and 38: Hurricanes and their Effect on Cora
Page 39 and 40: Hurricanes and their Effect on Cora
Page 41 and 42: 4. Th e 2005 Bl e a c h i n g Ev e
Page 43 and 44: The 2005 Bleaching Event: Coral-Lis
Page 45 and 46: The 2005 Bleaching Event: Coral-Lis
Page 47: The 2005 Bleaching Event: Coral-Lis
Page 51 and 52: Status of the Mesoamerican Reef aft
Page 65 and 66: 6. Co r a l Reefs o f t h e U.S. Ca
Page 67 and 68: Coral Reefs of the U.S. Caribbean19
Page 69 and 70: Coral Reefs of the U.S. CaribbeanMe
Page 71 and 72: Coral Reefs of the U.S. Caribbeanwe
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Page 77 and 78: 7. Th e Effects o f Co r a l Bl e a
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9. Th e Effects o f Co r a l Bl e a
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The Effects of Coral Bleaching in S
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10. Ma n ag i n g f o r Ma s s Co r
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Managing for Mass Coral Bleaching:
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Status of Caribbean coral reefs after bleaching and hurricanes in 2005

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