Sea surface temperatures on the Great Barrier Reef : a contribution to the study of coral bleaching

Abstract

The extensive coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef(GBR) in early 1998 focussed attention on the role that unusually high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) might play in triggering coral bleaching. 1997~ 1998 also witnessed significant coral bleaching events at many reef sites around the world (Wilkinson" 1998; Berkelmans and Oliver, in press). A link was made between unusually high summer SSTs and the 1997-99 EI Nino Southem Oscillation (ENSO) event (Wilkinson et al., in press).