| Global warming harbinger | |
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Coral Reef Bleaching |
Fiji
2000 – A new wave of coral bleaching events has been observed during the southern summer in Fiji and on many other South Pacific atolls. Satellite measurements by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association documented unusually high temperatures across much of the Pacific. The 1990s has seen several major bleaching events. Repeated and prolonged bleaching episodes – expected as tropical water temperatures warm with climate change – eventually kill corals and cause a decline in associated marine species.
Reference: WWF South Pacific Programme, 2000. Pacific Reefs Hit by Coral Bleaching. Climate Ark. http://www.climateark.org/articles/2000/2nd/paccreez.htm.
NOAA-ORA/OSDPD Coral Reef Team, 2000. Experimental Coral Bleaching HotSpots for the year 2000. http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/climohot_2000.html.
