Website

https://floridadep.gov/rcp/coral/content/bleachwatch

Region(s)

SE

Summary

Since the 1980’s, the frequency and severity of coral bleaching has been increasing globally and along Florida's Coral Reef. To address this concern, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) and Mote Marine Laboratory established the Florida Keys BleachWatch Program in 2005, modeled after the original BleachWatch Program in Australia for the Great Barrier Reef. In 2013, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection extended this early warning network to the Kristin Jacobs Coral Aquatic Preserve (Coral AP), creating the SEAFAN BleachWatch program. Originally focused on coral bleaching, the program expanded in 2016 to include observations of coral disease after the stony coral tissue loss disease outbreak, which first appeared in 2014. The SEAFAN BleachWatch Program, through community reporting, has played a crucial role in understanding and responding to disturbance events along Florida’s Coral Reef. ??

Parameters

Quantitative summary of coral bleaching and disease

Notes

DEP oversees the SEAFAN BleachWatch program for the Coral AP, while Mote Marine Laboratory oversees the BleachWatch program for the FKNMS.

Application

Early warning system to monitor coral bleaching and disease outbreaks.

Publications

Start

2013

End

Current

Frequency

Variable

Method

Roving diver survey

Discontinuity

Data Location

Database, images, excel (available upon request)

Data Format

Habitats

Coral/Coral Reef RCP Program not part of SEACAR analysis

SEACAR Citation

Alternative Citation

indicates priority attributes