Extent of Coral Bleaching locally?

I can tell you as a snorkeller that the deterioration has been enormous in the 22 years I've been here. This was particularly brought home to me when a friend visited at the end of last year and we went on the Atlantis submarine trip. I hadn't been on the excursion since Atlantis first started operating close to 20 years ago and although the trip was great for the visitors on board, the deterioration of the coral was appalling to me.

I mentioned it later to the tour guide who I've known for several years and he said it had actually improved since the devastation wrought by Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 but that was his only timepoint of reference.

The change is evident all over. The wonderful snorkelling spots off STJ which I remember so fondly are nowhere near as lush and vivid as they were years ago and it's heartbreaking to see such negative change.

hi STT Resident
Yeah, I've seen a big change on STX in the last year alone. I snorkel, but don't dive, so I was wondering about the divers and what they've been seeing, if it's that bad all over. It probably is....it is just sooo sad.

And we have to wonder if global warming is the only excuse, of course.....particularly since even Shoy's beach turned up unsafe last week. What a pity that so much beauty is so taken for granted.

I'm surprised more beaches weren't closed. Sewage was pumped directly into the ocean a few weeks ago when a pipe needed repair; apparently there was no where else to pump it for a few days. Yikes, we didn't see dive boats out front for several days, but our beaches never closed.....thats scary .

What's the deal with Shoys? Why did it turn up "unsafe?"
Thanks for the info.

Each week the DNR tests the water at all the beaches around the island. They test the bacteria levels and for any harmful contaminents in the water. The results are published every week in The Avis. It only shows which beach(es) are unsafe for swimming, but not what the problem was. The drinking water at our condo gets sampled every month for any problems, also. We use both cistern and city water.

From my personal experience frequently snorkeling the same area in Cowpet Bay, I can say that I watched with horror as the coral began turning white - finally nearly all varieties were bright white. I have since watched some recovery (Gott sei dank!), but there is quite a bit of permanent damage. Of two nearly perfect pieces of Elkhorn coral, one is completly dead, and the other is nearly 95% OK. The tips of a great piece of Pillar coral have permanent damage. And so on ...

This last summer, the water was particularly hot, and I believe that the temperature, coupled with the constant background of human pollutants and runoff, was the cause.

Max

Here is another factor that is being considered.

http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/african_dust/

Max