A short story on thermal anomalies and coral bleaching in the Florida Keys

Maria Vega-Rodriguez, Univ. of South Florida (USF), mariavegarod@mail.usf.edu (Presenter)
Meaghan Johnson, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), meaghan_johnson@tnc.org
Gabriel Antonio Quiles-Perez, Univ. of South Florida (USF), gabrielq@marine.usf.edu
C. Mark Eakin, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, mark.eakin@noaa.gov
Matthew McCarthy, Univ. of South Florida (USF), mjm8@mail.usf.edu
Frank Muller-Karger, University of South Florida, carib@usf.edu

Steady increases in ocean water temperatures has threaten the likelihood of coral survival by increasing the frequency of thermal disturbances leading to unprecedented massive coral bleaching and disease outbreaks (Glynn 1984, Lough 2000, Baker et al. 2008, Hoegh-Guldberg & Bruno 2010, IPCC 2013). Extreme water temperatures negatively influence coral colonies by disrupting their relationships with symbiotic dinoflagellates (Symbiodinium), causing coral bleaching, increasing incidences of diseases, and coral mortality. The research objectives of this study are to determine: 1) the spatial and/or temporal patterns for coral bleaching, 2) if thermal anomalies were conducive to coral bleaching in the Florida Keys between years 2005 – 2014. Preliminary analyses used an AVHRR satellite-derived Degree Heating Weeks (DHWs) image on August 25, 2005, and the annual percent coral bleaching data from the Florida Reef Resilience Program from The Nature Conservancy. It confirmed that warmer than average DHW’s were experienced in the Middle and Lower Keys during summer of 2005. Reefs in the Upper Keys were exposed to low and moderate DHWs but experienced moderate to severe coral bleaching. Although exposed to low DHWs, some of the highest coral bleaching were observed in offshore shallow reefs at the Upper Keys. Some of the reefs exposed to the Florida Bay water outflows had high DHWs and experienced high coral bleaching. Moderate coral bleaching in the Middle and Lower Keys correlated with moderate DHWs. However, some reefs in these same regions experienced low to moderate coral bleaching while exposed to moderate to high DHWs. These results, although preliminary, suggest that some reefs in the Middle and Lower Keys might have been better suited to withstand warmer water temperatures during the summer of 2005. The work in progress includes extending the analysis to the entire time series using high-spatial resolution (1km2) MODIS satellite-derived DHWs.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Theme 1: Tracking habitat change through new integrative approaches and products   (Mon 1:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Muller-Karger, Frank: A Decision Support System for Ecosystem-Based Management of Tropical Coral Reef Environments ...details

Poster Location ID: 44