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Western Indian Ocean Coral Bleaching Alerts
Current alert level – 15 January 2012
- none – all regions
The NOAA Bleaching Area Outlook shows mild (watch) alerts for the warmer regions in the Mozambique channel and the northern part of the region, for the period Jan-Apr 2012.
No bleaching is expected for this season.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL ALERT HERE - 15 January 2012
See NOAA Coral Reef Watch's new data products for the Western Indian Ocean here
For recent (2012) and past-year alerts, see below.
History of the alerts
CORDIO has conducted a regional bleaching warning alert since 2007, during the local ‘summer’ from January to May each year. The regional approach enables customization of the warnings using local to regional factors that are important in altering bleaching risk and makes the tools more accessible to non-specialist users such as agency and protected area managers.
The future
In 2011 the bleaching alert is being improved through a collaboration with the Kenya Meteorological Department (see "Climate Adaptation" under "Human Systems") and with regional climate service organizations to establish it as a more general service for the region. Download a description of this initiative here.
Western Indian Ocean subregions
Starting in 2011 the alerts will be focused on six subregions in the Western Indian Ocean, as follows:
SEC – south equatorial current – source waters for the region
swio – southwest Indian ocean – fed by southward flow from the SEC (eastern and SE Madagascar, Mauritius, La Reunion).
Central – fed by flow of SEC north of Madagascar, the Comoros gyre, northern Mozambique channel (northern Mozambique and Madagascar, southern Tanzania, Comoros).
S – south –southern Mozambique channel (central & southern Mozambique and west & southwest Madagascar)
N – north – fed by East African Coastal Current (northern Tanzania and Kenya)
NE – northeast – Seychelles banks and outer islands, including Aldabra group, Farquhar.
Boundaries are defined by latitude (8 and 16oS) except for NE/SEC boundary, at 10.5oS). Analysis and justification of these climate regions is in progress
2011 alerts:
1 FEBRUARY 2011 - LOW/MODERATE
2010 alerts, January - May
27 APRIL 2010 - MODERATE ALERT
13 APRIL 2010 - MODERATE ALERT
29 MARCH 2010 - MODERATE ALERT
15 MARCH 2010 - MODERATE ALERT
01 MARCH 2010 - MODERATE ALERT
12 FEBRUARY 2010 - MODERATE ALERT
2009 alerts, January - April
16 APRIL 2009 - MODERATE ALERT
31 MARCH 1999 - MODERATE ALERT
06 MARCH 1999 - MODERATE ALERT