Branqueamento de corais

Biota Neotrop., vol. 8, no. 3, Jul./Set. 2008

Branqueamento de corais nos recifes da Bahia e sua relação com eventos de anomalias térmicas nas águas superficiais do oceano
Zelinda Margarida Andrade Nery Leão1,2, Ruy Kenji Papa de Kikuchi1 & Marília de Dirceu Machado de Oliveira1
1

Curso de Pós-Graduação em Geologia – CPGG, Universidade Federal da Bahia – UFBA, Rua Barão de Jeremoabo, s/n, Ondina, CEP 40170-115, Salvador, BA, Brasil 2 Autor para correspondência: Zelinda Leão, e-mail: [e-mail]

LEÃO, Z.M.A.N., KIKUCHI, R.K.P. & OLIVEIRA, M.D.M. 2008. Coral bleaching in Bahia reefs and its relation with sea surface temperature anomalies. Biota Neotrop. 8(3): http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/ v8n3/en/abstract?article+bn00808032008. Abstract: Since 1993 several coral bleaching events were registered in Bahia. There were no mass coral death associated to these events and the affected corals fully recovered after the impact. The first occurrence was registered during the southern hemisphere summer of 1993/1994, in Abrolhos, when 50 to 90% of the coral colonies were bleached. In the North Coast of Bahia, during the summer of 1997/1998, a sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly of 1 °C matched with SST registered in the field (29 to 30.5 °C). As a result, up to 60% corals bleached. From 1998 to 2005 anomalies of 0.25 °C, for two weeks, caused bleaching in more than 10% corals from the coastal reefs, which are located adjacent or less than 5 km from the coastline. However in the Abrolhos region, where reefs are located more than 10 km from the continent, only SST anomalies higher than 0.50 °C, persisting for more than two weeks, caused bleaching up to 10% of the investigated corals. Mussismilia hispida, Siderastrea spp., Montastraea cavernosa, Agaricia agaricites and Porites astreoides were the coral species most severely impacted by bleaching, and they are also the most common species in the coastal reefs. All species presented different levels of bleaching,