Recent freshwater reef kill event in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii
"Freshwater kills are rare events caused by lowered salinity during severe runoff and storm floods (Coles and Jokiel 1992) that modify the structure of reef communities. Coral reef communities within Kaneohe Bay are shallow (>50% of the bay is less tha...
Global Coral Bleaching 2014-2017 Status and an Appeal for Observations
"In 2014 we wrote in 'Reef Encounter' about the prospect for a 2014-15 El Nino (Eakin et al. 2014). While that El Nino never fully formed, it helped set off the ongoing multi-year global coral bleaching event. A subsequent 2015-16 strong El Nino formed, s...
NOAA Coral Reef Watch's next-generation 5 km satellite sea surface temperature-based decision support system for coral bleaching management
"Satellite remote sensing has become an essential tool for coral reef environment monitoring. Since 1997, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch (CRW) has provided satellite-based sea surface temperature (SST) produ...
Ocean hotspots and coral reef bleaching: January - July 1998
"Since 1990 we have been able to predict virtually all known large scale coral reef bleaching events in real time using the "HotSpot" criterion (Goreau et al., 1990; Goreau and Hayes, 1994; Goreau, Hayes and Strong, 1997; Strong, 1998). We identify region...
New analyses for ocean hotspots and coral reef bleaching
"In Reef Encounter 24, Strong, Goreau and Hayes described the "HotSpot" technique employed to identify and map areas of the global tropics where satellite-derived surface temperatures (SSTs) have exceeded a threshold of 1.0 C above the warm season monthly...
Ding, Dong, The Witch is Dead (?) - Three Years of Global Coral Bleaching 2014-2017
"In 2016, we wrote in Reef Encounter about the ongoing Third Global Coral Bleaching Event, which was forecast to continue into 2017 (Eakin et al. 2016). As predicted, the 2015-16 strong El Nino formed, worsening the bleaching, and was followed by a La Nin...
Chasing Coral: A wonderfully told story and a new opportunity for conservation outreach
"Chasing Coral, a new documentary film, begins following Richard Vevers, a former London advertising executive, whose passion for the ocean and expertise as an underwater photographer and communication specialist lead him to pursue a new goal communicatin...
NOAA Coral Reef Watch's 5km Satellite Coral Bleaching Heat Stress Monitoring Product Suite Version 3 and Four-Month Outlook Version 4
"In May 2017, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch (CRW) program launched version 3 of its near-real-time daily global 5km Satellite Coral Bleaching Heat Stress Monitoring Product Suite and version 4 of its glob...
Synoptic habitat and reef fish surveys support establishment of marine reserves in the Dry Tortugas, Florida USA
"In response for concerns about declining regional trends in coral reef habitats and multispecies reef fish stocks, 151 nm2 (518 km2) of 'no take' ecological reserves and natural research areas were designated in Florida's Dry Tortugas by the Florida Keys...
Will 2014-2015 be the next big El Nino? If so, what might it mean for coral reefs?
"As of June 2014, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) has issued an El Nino Watch. There is a greater than 70% chance that an El Nino will develop by late 2014. The present c...
Recent freshwater reef kill event in Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii