Preliminary Results of Patterns of 2019 Thermal Stress and Coral Bleaching Across the Hawaiian Archipelago

NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Ecosystems Sciences Division (ESD) planned and conducted a multi-institutional response in partnership with the Hawaii Coral Bleaching Collaborative to build a comprehensive dataset of the spatial extent and severity of coral bleaching in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Through a combination of bleaching assessment surveys and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry surveys, both real-time rapid data and permanent records of reef condition were collected during the peak of the forecasted 2019 bleaching event. This report presents preliminary results of in-situ visual bleaching surveys. A forthcoming quantitative analysis will examine spatial patterns of bleaching prevalence and extent across taxa and the influence of depth and thermal stress on those patterns.