01/07/2020
Bleaching alert updates, based on sea surface temperature (SST) data, are provided by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and helps us keep an eye out for what's happening locally.
If you've been out at sea, please report what you've seen to the Philippine Coral Bleaching Watch. Was there coral bleaching or not? The YES and NO reports are both important information.
Read more on their post.
01 July 2020 Bleaching Alert Update ❗️❗️
Coral MORTALITY is LIKELY (Alert Level 2, Maroon) in parts of Batangas, including Tayabas Bay, parts of Mindoro in Tablas Strait, Guimaras Strait in Western Visayas, and parts of Northern Palawan.
Coral Bleaching is still LIKELY HAPPENING in other parts of Western and Central Philippines— under Alert Level 1 (Red)
Alert level ‘Watch’ - Yellow (possible bleaching is likely to progress)
Alert level ‘Warning’ - Orange(possible bleaching)
Alert level 1 - Red (bleaching likely happening)
Alert level 2 - Dark Red (coral mortality likely)
What can we do?
Be part of the watch. Help us look for healthy, non-bleaching reefs or
If you do manage to be in the water, please be on the look out if your reef areas are bleaching or not bleaching. We need to monitor reefs that are resilient to heat stress, and reefs that are able to recover!!
Please report and send photos for validation, and documentation at tinyurl.com/phbleachingreport. You may also download our mobile app if you are an android user here: tinyurl.com/phbleachingapp
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What is CORAL BLEACHING?
Coral bleaching is a response to an environmental stress including changes in ocean temperature, coral predation, coral diseases, pollution, among others. During a bleaching event, corals expel zooxanthellae (their source of nutrients) to relieve itself from the stress, and as a result, the corals will lose their color and appear to be white or pale. Massive coral bleaching occurs where there are unusually high sea surface temperature (SST) called SST anomalies.
Screengrab from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):
https://bit.ly/2H9yZW8