Life Sciences Commons^™

Remote Detection Of Coral 'Bleaching' Using Pulsed-Laser Fluorescence Spectroscopy, J. T. Hardy, F. E. Hoge, J. K. Yungel, Richard E. Dodge

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Despite their biological and economic importance coral reefs are increasingly threatened by human activities. Recently, 'bleaching' of reefs, i.e. loss of photosynthetic pigmentation, has occurred at numerous globally-distributed sites. A number of environmental stressors, including increased water temperature, can induce bleaching. Several investigators have suggested that the widespread occurrence of coral bleaching represents an early warning signal of global greenhouse warming. Regardless of the cause, the extent of coral bleaching, both regionally and globally, needs to be documented and monitored. We conducted laboratory studies to evaluate the potential of using remotely-sensed laser-induced fluorescence to monitor coral pigmentation. Five species of …