For a colony growing on top of another colony, only measure the diameter and height of the individual colony being assessed. Example of size measurements for knocked over coral too large to move. Note dead area and live area. Examples of corals with complex morphologies Basally-connected columns of Montastraea annularis Interlocking thickets of A . The most common difference we found among observers is in estimating the percentage of coral mortality.
Plan view is assessed from an angle that is parallel to the axis of growth.
If you are unsure of disease it is better to put unknown and describe it and take a photo if possible. Remember we are only interested in large scale bleaching events due to elevated sea surface temperatures, not localized patches of bleaching due to algal overgrowth. It is important to differentiate between corals with fish bites, recovering tissue from fish bites or bleaching and bleached tissue. Appendix 5 shows a diagrammatic representation of small patches of partial mortality on a coral and how tissue loss can expand over the entire colony. These figures also show the actual percentages corresponding to the amount of illustrated partial mortality.