[Coral-List] Meandrina meandrites Bleaching, Boynton Beach, FL
Etichscuba at aol.com
Etichscuba at aol.com
Tue Oct 5 09:30:11 UTC 2004
> >>
>> From: goreau <goreau at bestweb.net>
>> Subject: [Coral-List] Re: Meandrina meandrites Bleaching, Boynton
>> Beach, FL
>> To: Etichscuba at aol.com
>>
>> Dear Ed,
>>
>> Nice work!
>>
>> You are completely right that Meandrina is a particularly
>> strong and predictable bleacher, but this is long known. That is why
>> my parents used it to experimentally determine the physiological,
>> cellular, and biochemical effects of bleaching on corals 50 years
>> go. Since those days we have noticed it to undergo regular seasonal
>> paling in warm seasons. This, like so much else, has been ignored by
>> the current generation of reef "scientists" who do not know or
>> respect the old knowledge. so that they can "discover" it.
>>
>> For 15 years now we've been able to predict when, where, and
>> how bad bleaching will be in almost all cases worldwide from
>> satellite data alone, before it can be seen in the field, using our
>> HotSpot method (Goreau, 1989, Goreau et al. 1991, Goreau &Hayes,
>> 1994, and much more).
>>
>> The Southeast Florida area had a well developed HotSpot
>> this year, and Dan Clark noticed marked bleaching underway in Broward
>> County over a month ago, coincident with your observations. This
>> HotSpot was completely dissipated by the reduced sunshine and strong
>> vertical mixing that accompanied the hurricane, so we are predicting
>> rapid recovery except for Palythoa, which will linger, as usual.
>>
>> Best wishes,
>>
>> Tom
>
>
>
> Dear Tom,
>
> What I think the data show is that the bleaching is in response to daylength
> and not temperature. I occurrs and recovers within the same time frame each
> year, with no apparent damage to the colonies. I think someone needs to study
> this. If for no other reason than to have a field site where bleaching can
> be observed on a predictable basis.
> Ed
>
>
>
>
More information about the Coral-List
mailing list