| Abstract: |
The BleachWatch data form has been designed to minimize the effort required by observers to report on coral condition from throughout the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. BleachWatch observers are requested to provide their contact information, as well as the type of community group that describes them. Site information includes the location name, GPS coordinates, water depth, reef zone that describes the site (hardbottom, patch reef, mid-channel reef, deep reef, or bank reef), as well as basic environmental conditions such as wind speed and air temperature, cloud cover, and water temperature at both the surface and at depth. Basic bleaching observations include the severity of bleaching observed overall at the site (no bleaching, paling, bleached only on the upper surface, completely bleached), the growth forms of corals affected (brain, branching, fleshy, flower/cup, leaf/plate/sheet, or mound/boulder), the percent of overall coral cover at the site affected, and the depth range where bleaching is observed. Finally, observers are asked to note bleaching in other species of interest, including fire coral, zooanthids, and gorgonians, as well as any other observations of coral disease or mortality that may be occurring at the site. After exiting the water, observers simply enter these observations on the report form provided. Observers are asked to report as regularly as possible, and are made to understand that observations of no bleaching present are equally as important. |