=========================  Bleaching Report  ===========================


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**********************  Bleaching in Palmyra  **************************
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Report from:  Chris Depkin
              USFWS
              Palmyra Atoll NWR

Date:         20 September 2002

"I was able to spend about an hour today snorkeling in the Penguin spit 
area (south of Sand Island). From my limited experience with identifying 
specific signs of coral bleaching I would say that, yes, there were a 
"few" spots that were suspiciously pale. Affected species groups were 
the Acropora (one small colony completely pale yellow), Fungia (normally 
seen with some magenta, those seen were the same color as the pale 
Acropora) and one of the plate corals (normally purple these were seen 
as colorless and pale to light purple to pale green). 

"What I observed were a very few individuals/colonies that were either 
completely or partially pale (whitish to buff or yellow). Not wide 
spread at all."

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NOAA's Coral Reef Watch Project
NOAA/NESDIS

23 September 2002