Cyprus-Forum.com

[shmuel16]

Save Cyprus corals, Dr. Carlos Jimenez project , Viking Divers Assist and happy to help
This is a call for help in gathering information on the current coral bleaching and mortality event in Cyprus. The event is affecting several coral species down to a depth of 12m and perhaps more. Yes, Cyprus has corals and they are under attack by a series of stressful factors affecting their health.
Corals are given their colour by symbiotic microalgae that live inside their tissue, coral skeleton is white. Corals release the symbiotic microalgae from their tissue, when under stressful conditions. Therefore, corals lacking those microalgae turn white, exposing their skeleton and eventually die. Healthy corals are NEVER white.
If you are doing snorkelling in shallow areas or SCUBA diving in deeper waters around Cyprus, please take a moment to observe your surroundings. If you notice white or bleached structures or mound-like shapes, get close and try to observe the different shades of colour. If what you are observing is indeed a coral colony, it may resemble what is shown in the four photos.
To understand the extent and severity of the coral bleaching and mortality in Cyprus it is crucial to have a proper record of the locations affected and other details. Only with this information we will be able to understand and follow the progress of the event and thus concentrate our studies in the most affected areas.
The following list is of what would be very much appreciated to have from you and from any other fellow diver/snorkeler that wants to contribute to the study:
1. Location name, where the corals were observed
2. Approximate depth of the observations
3. Number of coral colonies showing white areas
4. Number or coral colonies without white areas
5. Total per cent of bleached coral, according to your personal evaluation.
6. Photos of the corals are more than welcome. Try to include the whole of the coral colony in the photo (like in the photos illustrating the bleaching).

Any information gathered by the active community of divers/snorkelers can be sent directly to Samuel’s blog or to my contact address given below.
Once again, Samuel, the support provided by you and other dive centres in the study of corals of Cyprus, is invaluable and highly appreciated.
With best regards, Carlos Jimenez
Dr. Carlos Jimenez
Associate Research Scientist
Energy, Environment and Water Research Center (EEWRC) of The Cyprus Institute (CyI)
P.O. Box 27456, CY-1645 Nicosia, Cyprus
Tels.: +357-22-208-664 , e-mail: [email protected]; Internet: http://www.cyi.ac.cy

[shmuel16]

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