Bleach Watch Singapore

Thai dive sites may be closed due to coral bleaching

2011-01-18T00:39:00.001-08:00

Coral bleaching has damaged Thailand's Andaman Sea reefs more severely than the 2004 tsunami, said the Thai National Parks Director.

Bleaching corals
from the The Bangkok Post 8 May 10;

The Director of Research, National Parks, Thailand, Dr Songtam Suksawang, said 93.6% of coral at Surin, the Similans, Phi Phi, Racha and Phuket are dead. The coral bleaching rates by site are: Surin Island, 99.9%; Thachai Island 84%; Surin South 85%; Similan Island 89.3%. The species affected are the Staghorn, Ring, Double Star and Mountain coral

"Damage was much worse than the destruction caused by the 2004 tsunami, he said. The coral could take between five and 10 years to recover, he said, and yet there were no signs of young coral.

While elevated sea temperatures caused coral bleaching, reefs there were also under pressure from "waste and pollution from diving boats". "Many divers are also contributing to the damage as they step on the coral," said Thai officials.

The dugong population, once believed to be recovering, was now declining as their rare sea grass feeding zones were polluted by coastal construction. Turtle numbers had risen last year but were now showing signs of declining once again. Coral fish were also being sighted in fewer numbers.

Full articles on wildsingapore news.

Severe bleaching was also reported for the Indian coasts of the Andaman Sea. Reef surveys conducted by Indian scientists revealed 37-70% coral bleaching in April-May 2010. Although bleaching were reported in 1998 and 2002 in this region, the 2010 bleaching is considered much worse. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are bestowed with the richest coral diversity among all Indian reefs.

Full article on wildsingapore news.

This post is also found on wild shores of singapore.

"Worst coral die-off seen since 1998" due to coral bleaching

2010-10-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

"Certainly the worst coral die-off seen since 1998. It may prove to be the worst such event known to science," says the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies about the recent coral bleaching.

Bleaching at Cyrene Reef in Jun 2010, photo by Marcus Ng
shared on the Bleach Watch Singapore flickr group

Many reefs are dead or dying across the Indian Ocean and into the Coral Triangle following a bleaching event that extends from the Seychelles in the west to Sulawesi and the Philippines in the east and include reefs in Sri Lanka, Burma Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and many sites in western and eastern Indonesia.

"Although the Coral Triangle is the richest region for corals on Earth, it relies on other regions around its fringes to supply the coral spawn and fish larvae that help keep it so rich. So there are both direct and indirect effects on Coral Triangle reefs which will affect their ability to recover from future disturbance." say the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.

Meanwhile, IUCN reports that their scientists found coral bleaching on the reefs of Mayotte, an island that lies to the north west of Madagascar to be the worst seen in the Indian Ocean.

Murky water saves bleaching corals?

According to the IUCN :

The researchers confirmed a pattern that is increasingly reported in other locations, whereby corals accustomed to the inner turbid waters of lagoons showed higher resistance to bleaching than corals on outer clear-water reefs.

“Turbidity or green water during a high temperature stress event appears to protect corals,” explains Dr Obura. “This is in contrast to our prior expectation of corals in clear oceanic waters being generally healthier.”

This is a summary of full articles, on wildsingapore news

Coral death strikes at Southeast Asia ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies Science Alert 19 Oct 10;
Indian Ocean coral reefs fading fast: 2010 expedition findings IUCN 15 Oct 10;

This post first appeared on the wild shores of singapore.

Coral bleaching in Singapore in the news

2010-09-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

60% of Singapore corals were bleaching in mid-2010, but recently, there are signs of recovery, reported the Straits Times today.

Mass bleaching seen in June on a submerged reef off Pulau Semakau

As with bleaching elsewhere, bleaching in Singapore is mainly attributed to unusually high sea temperatures.

Sea temperatures were unusually high in Singapore during May and June, research scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) told The Straits Times, with daytime temperatures on coral reefs here rising to more than 31 deg C or 32 deg C - at least two degrees above normal.

Most corals around Singapore were in danger because of sediment released during land reclamation work, NUS Associate Professor Peter Todd was quoted as saying.

Full article also on wildsingapore news

Reports about bleaching in Singapore shared in blogs or on facebook are posted on the Bleach Watch Singapore facebook page. From these trips, many corals indeed are no longer bleaching. However, there seems to be fewer corals. So it may be that many corals did not survive the bleaching.

More links

More about coral bleaching in Singapore.
Trips to report on coral bleaching on wild shores of singapore.
More photos of coral bleaching in Singapore on the Bleach Watch Singapore flickr group.
More media articles about global bleaching events on wildsingapore news.

Malaysian coral under threat: AlJazeera video clip

2010-09-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Al Jazeera's Stephanie Scawen has been investigating the effects on Malaysia's Tioman Island.
Scientists have said that the first seven months of this year brought the hottest combined sea and land temperatures to parts of Southeastt Asia, since records began.

That has led to some of the worst coral bleaching the region has ever seen.

Malaysia had closed many sites to divers to allow the corals to recover. Although the water temperature has fallen, experts fear 20% of the affected corals may still die.

More about bleaching in Malaysia from wildsingapore news.

Malaysia : Widespread Coral Bleaching In Sepanggar Bay Serves As Reminder Newmond Tibin Bernama 11 Sep 10;
Coral bleaching in Malaysia: Respite for the reef Michael D'Oliveiro The Star 14 Aug 10;
Coral Bleaching: UMS Marine Scientists Urge Best Practices, Not A Knee-jerk Response Newmond Tibin Bernama 4 Aug 10;
Sabah Parks checking if marine parks affected by coral bleaching Daily Express 30 Jul 10;
UMS Marine Scientists Discover Widespread Coral Bleaching In Sepanggar Bay, Sabah Newmond Tibin Bernama 29 Jul 10;
Malaysian corals on the brink, warns expert Teh Eng Hock The Star 29 Jul 10;
Three more Redang dive sites shut due to coral bleaching Zainuddin Muhammad New Straits Times 28 Jul 10;
Turtle Feeding Habitats in Malaysia Unaffected By Coral Bleaching - Expert Haslin Gaffor Bernama 27 Jul 10;
New methods to bring life to dead corals in Malaysia New Straits Times Asia One 25 Jul 10;
WWF lauds move to close Malaysian dive destinations to protect bleached coral Rachael Kam The Star 23 Jul 10;
Due to Coral Bleaching 12 Malaysian Travel Sites Temporarily Closed To Tourists Bernama 21 Jul 10;
WWF-Malaysia’s statement on Coral Bleaching WWF Malaysia 22 Jul 10;

Iconic coral species the most vulnerable to bleaching

2010-08-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Evan Schwarten AAP Sydney Morning Herald 17 Aug 10;

The Great Barrier Reef's dominant coral species are among the most vulnerable to the effects of global warming, a new study has found.

A groundbreaking study into the immunity of coral species has found the iconic Acroporidae family to be among the most susceptible to outbreaks of disease or bleaching.

Acroporidae, also known as "reef building" coral for its role in the development of reefs, is among the most prevalent found in the Great Barrier Reef.

The branched structure and size of Acroporidae colonies makes it among the most recognisable coral species in the world.

The study by scientists from James Cook University and the Australian Research Centre ranked 17 coral species found on the reef according to their immunity.

It found species from the Acroporidae and Pocilloporidae families ranked at the bottom of the scale, putting them at the most risk of bleaching or disease - both of which have been linked to global warming.

However, study leader Caroline Palmer said the Acroporidae corals were also among the fastest growing and most abundant species.

They were, therefore, the most likely to survive as a species, even if individual colonies die.

"When a mass bleaching event hits they are one of the most affected species of coral but they seem to be bouncing back in a lot of places," she said.

"They can reproduced faster so that when they are knocked back they can grow back a lot faster."

She said immunity levels appeared to be linked to the amount of energy a species assigned to it.

Some, like the Acroporidae, directed more energy towards growth reproduction, while other species had a slower growth rate but higher levels of immunity.

Bleaching in Indonesia leads to massive death on reefs

2010-08-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

A survey of corals in Aceh, Indonesia revealed one of the most rapid and severe coral mortality events ever recorded. The scientists found that 80% of some species have died since the initial assessment and more colonies are expected to die within the next few months.
The Wildlife Conservation Society today released initial field observations that indicate that a dramatic rise in the surface temperature in Indonesian waters has resulted in a large-scale bleaching event that has devastated coral populations.

WCS survey reefs in May and subsequently monitored them again in early August.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Hotspots website, temperatures in the region peaked in late May of 2010, when the temperature reached 34 degrees Celsius -- 4 degrees Celsius higher than long term averages for the area.

"This is a tragedy not only for some of the world's most biodiverse coral reefs, but also for people in the region, many of whom are extremely impoverished and depend on these reefs for their food and livelihoods," said WCS Marine Program Director Dr. Caleb McClennen.

Full articles on wildsingapore news.

Due to Coral Bleaching 12 Malaysian Travel Sites Temporarily Closed To Tourists

2010-07-21T05:20:00.001-07:00

Bernama 21 Jul 10;

LANGKAWI, July 21 (Bernama) -- Nine marine park islands and three islands off Langkawi, Terengganu and Pahang are closed to tourists from July 2 to Oct 31 due to coral bleaching.
Marine Parks Department director-general Abdul Jamal Mydin said the coral degradation, which was caused by global warming, was worse than in 1998.

He said in Langkawi, the authorities decided to close Teluk Wangi, Pantai Damai, and Coral Garden in Pulau Payar while in Terengganu - Pulau Redang, Teluk Bakau, Pulau Tenggol, Teluk Air Tawar, Pulau Perhentian Besar and Teluk Dalam.

There other islands are in Pahang, namely Pulau Rengis, Pulau Tumok and Pulau Soyak, he told a news conference after attending a meeting on the quagmire on Wednesday.

Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab was present.

He said the department had set up a committee comprising the Tourism Malaysia, the Public Works Department, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to look into the problem.

Abdul Jamal said more than 500,000 local and foreign tourists visited the marine parks every year.

On Pulau Payar, he said visitors to island would be reduced by 50 per cent to 200 as a controlled measure and to reduce stress on the coral reef.

Only three locations on Pulau Payar are closed to visitors, he said, adding that restriction on other islands had yet to be decided.

-- BERNAMA

More reports in Malaysian media on wildsingapore news.

Coral bleaching events elsewhere

2010-06-11T03:31:00.000-07:00

Today, The Star featured a report of extensive coral bleaching at Tioman on 5-7 Jun.

Photo from The Star 10 Jun.

“The cabbage corals, brain corals and staghorn corals have turned white,” said Kids Scuba director and scuba educator Syed Abdul Rahman Syed Hassan.

He said the underwater temperature had also changed. “In my numerous dives here previously, the temperature was between 25°C and 27°C. However, in my two days of underwater discovery, the temperature was at 32°C,” he said.

The Straits Times also featured the photo with a brief story.

Singapore bloggers also reported on bleaching in Tioman: Kok Sheng reported minor bleaching during his trip in 'end May', while Samson reported more extensive bleaching on 29-30 May.

Bleaching has also been reported in other areas in our region. More on the wild shores of singapore blog.

Latest media reports of bleaching are tagged as bleaching events on wildsingapore news, and a feed of these stories appears on this blog on the left sidebar.

Near-real-time bleach watch satellite information from NOAA

2010-06-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

NOAA's Coral Reef Watch Program's satellite data provide current reef environmental conditions to quickly identify areas at risk for coral bleaching.

The site provides lots of near-real-time information, including Bleaching Alert Areas.

It also provides information on the global Sea Surface Temperature.

Including a closer look at Sea Surface Temperatures for our part of the world.

It also gives an outlook for bleaching around the world. Besides an image of the outlook, there are also detailed text reports giving the outlook for bleaching.

The latest outlook is on the "announcements" column of the homepage:

June 8, 2010: Thermal stress now causing bleaching in Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia expected to subside. High potential for bleaching developing in Caribbean and Marianas.

The site includes an education and outreach section with links to tutorials on corals bleaching, what NOAA is doing to monitor and prevent coral bleaching, and what you can do to help; how NOAA predict coral bleaching from satellite temperature data, including hands-on exercises based on our website; ocean acidification, its affects on coral reefs, and how it can be modeled from satellite data; and lots more.

More on NOAA Coral Reef Watch.

Bleaching in our Southern Islands: 28 May - 2 Jun 2010

2010-06-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

Karenne Tun shared photos of bleaching at Pulau Hantu and Raffles Lighthouse on facebook.

Besides hard corals, even sea anemones were bleaching!

She said "Reminiscent of the 1998 bleaching event - but perhaps a shade less severe. Its still early days yet; Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) hovering around 31degC. Hoping that it will not get warmer than that. Did 2 surveys today - at Pulau Hantu and Raffles Lighthouse, to assess the severity of the bleaching. Working out potential recovery index now."

Even a jellyfish was bleaching.

Other reports of bleaching during this period:

Coral bleaching on our Southern shores? from wild shores of singapore, for various Southern submerged reefs.
What is coral bleaching? from wild shores of singapore, for Pulau Tekukor.
Kusu Island: slick-free for now from wild shores of singapore, for Kusu Island.
Feeling the heat from the annotated budak.

What happened in the 1998 coral bleaching event?

2010-06-03T03:45:00.000-07:00

How much of our corals were affected? Did they recover?

Find out from this presentation:

What are Corals and Coral Reefs?
What is Coral Bleaching?
Why do Corals Bleach?
1998 - A Bleak Year for Coral Reefs
Coral Bleaching in Singapore
Monitoring the Bleaching and some results
So What’s Next?

1998 coral bleaching event in singapore

Here's another brief summary of the 1998 bleaching event from the Coral Reefs of Singapore website:

As with coral reefs around the world, Singapore reefs suffered a mass bleaching event in June 1998. Sea temperatures around Pulau Hantu and St John's were elevated by 1-2 deg C from March to June 1998. 50-90% of all reef organisms in Singapore were affected, particularly the hard corals, soft corals and anemones. The bleaching effect extended till 6m, the lower growth depth limit for coral growth locally. Sea temperatures returned to normal in August 1998. A study of the stressed colonies was undertaken during this period. 10 out of 35 coral colonies died from the stress, and the genera Sinularia and Euphyllia were most affected. Other colonies showed various signs of stress, such as growth of turf algae and silt accumulation, leading to partial mortality.