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THE CONDITION OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTH FLORIDA (2000) USING CORAL DISEASE AND BLEACHING AS INDICATORS
Citation:
Santavy, D L., J K. Summers, V D. Engle, AND L C. Harwell. THE CONDITION OF CORAL REEFS IN SOUTH FLORIDA (2000) USING CORAL DISEASE AND BLEACHING AS INDICATORS . ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT. Springer, New York, NY, 100(1-3):129-152, (2005).
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of our survey was to assess coral reef condition throughout South Florida
Description:
The destruction for coral reef habitats is occurring at unprecedented levels. Coral disease epizootics in the Southwestern Atlantic have lead to coral replacement by turf algae, prompting a call to classify some coral species as endangered. In addition, a massive bleaching event in 1998 caused coral mortality never documented in modern and geological history. The objective of our survey was to assess coral reef condition throughout South Florida, with reefs in the Florida Keys, New Grounds, and the Dry Tortugas. A probability-based design produced unbiased estimates of the spatial extent of ecological condition (presence and prevalence of coral disease and three intensities of causal bleaching) with a quanitifiable level of uncertainty. The survey results generated areal estimates indicating the extent and intensity of coral health and disease. By establishing this baseline, future surveys can examine changes and trends in the spatial distribution of coral conditions in South Florida.