Determining Thermal Capacitance for Protected Area Network Design in Palau

摘要

During the latter half of 1998, Palau experienced unprecedented bleaching that resulted in significant mortality and the loss of significant proportions of one of the few remaining pristine coral reefs in the world. Prior to 1998 and since 1998, little to no coral bleaching has been observed. These observations were consistent with data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch (CRW) satellite Degree Heating Week (DHW) product. The DHW satellite product clearly shows that the 1998 accumulated thermal stress easily surpassed the critical DHW equals 4 threshold for coral bleaching and is the only year to have done so since 1985. This is consistent with field observations of bleaching.