Status of Caribbean coral reefs after bleaching and hurricanes in 2005

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Ex e c u t i v e Su m m a r yCl i v e Wilkinson a n d Dav i d So u t e r2005 – a hot yearzx 2005 was the hottest year in the Northern Hemisphere on average since the adventof reliable records in 1880.zx That year exceeded the previous 9 record years, which have all been within the last15 years.zx 2005 also exceeded 1998 which previously held the record as the hottest year; therewere massive coral losses throughout the world in 1998.zx Large areas of particularly warm surface waters developed in the Caribbean andTropical Atlantic during 2005. These were clearly visible in satellite images asHotSpots.zx The first HotSpot signs appeared in May, 2005 and rapidly expanded to cover thenorthern Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the mid-Atlantic by August.zx The HotSpots continued to expand and intensify until October, after which winterconditions cooled the waters to near normal in November and December.zx The excessive warm water resulted in large-scale temperature stress to Caribbeancorals.2005 – a hurricane yearzx The 2005 hurricane year broke all records with 26 named storms, including 13hurricanes.zx In July, the unusually strong Hurricane Dennis struck Grenada, Cuba and Florida.zx Hurricane Emily was even stronger, setting a record as the strongest hurricane tostrike the Caribbean before August.zx Hurricane Katrina in August was the most devastating storm to hit the USA.It caused massive damage around New Orleans.3
Status of Caribbean Coral Reefs after Bleaching and Hurricanes in 2005zx Hurricane Rita, a Category 5 storm, passed through the Gulf of Mexico to strikeTexas and Louisiana in September.zx Hurricane Wilma in October was the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record andcaused massive damage in Mexico, especially around Cozumel in Mexico.zx The hurricane season ended in December when tropical storm Zeta formed andpetered out in January.zx Many of these hurricanes caused considerable damage to the reefs via wave actionand runoff of muddy, polluted freshwater.zx The effects were not all bad. Some hurricanes reduced thermal stress by mixingdeeper cooler waters into surface waters.zx Although there were many hurricanes, none passed through the Lesser Antilles tocool the waters, where the largest HotSpot persisted.2005 – a massive coral bleaching eventzx The warm water temperatures caused large-scale coral bleaching as a stress responseto the excessive temperatures.zx Bleached corals were effectively starving and susceptible to other stresses includingdiseases; many died as a result.zx The first coral bleaching was reported from Brazil in the Southern Hemisphere; butit was minor.zx The first bleaching reports in the Caribbean were in June from Colombia in thesouth and Puerto Rico in the north.zx By July, bleaching reports came in from Belize, Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islandsaffecting between 25% and 45% of coral colonies.zx By August, the bleaching extended to Florida, Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands, thenorthern Dutch Antilles (St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius), the French West Indies(Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barthelemy), Barbados and the north coasts of Jamaicaand Cuba.zx Bleaching in these countries was generally severe affecting 50% to 95% of coralcolonies.zx In some countries (e.g. Cayman Islands) it was the worst bleaching ever seen.zx By September, bleaching affected the south coast of Jamaica and the DominicanRepublic, with 68% of corals affected;zx By October, Trinidad and Tobago was reporting 85% bleaching, and the developmentof a second HotSpot was causing the most severe bleaching for the last 25 years;some places reported 100%, although it was highly variable between sites;zx By November, minor bleaching also affected Venezuela, Guatemala and the Dutchislands of Bonaire and Curacao, affecting 14% to 25% of corals.zx In many countries (Cuba, Jamaica, Colombia, Florida, USA) there was great variationin bleaching between sites. In Florida, areas exposed to regular large temperaturefluctuations, and nutrient and sediment loads were less affected. In the French WestIndies, the variation was attributed to different species composition between sites.4
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 7: 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 49 and 50: 5. Stat u s o f t h e Mesoamerican
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Status of the Mesoamerican Reef aft
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6. Co r a l Reefs o f t h e U.S. Ca
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Coral Reefs of the U.S. Caribbean19
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Coral Reefs of the U.S. CaribbeanMe
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Coral Reefs of the U.S. Caribbeanwe
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7. Th e Effects o f Co r a l Bl e a
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The Effects of Coral Bleaching in t
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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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