ABSTRACT
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 Water Movement within the GBR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 GBR Weather and SST during February 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 The 3-Day Averaged SST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
The Central and Northern GBR Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 The Southern GBR Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) experienced its most intensive and extensive coral bleaching event on record in early 1998 (Berkelmans & Oliver, 1999). Bleaching occurs when there is widespread loss of pigment from coral, due mainly to the expulsion of symbiotic algae (Yonge & Nicholls, 1931). The algae are usually expelled in times of stress, often caused by sea surface temperatures (SST) which are higher than the coral colony’s tolerance level. This may be as little as 1 to 2°C above the mean monthly summer values (Glynn et al., 1988; Drollet et al., 1994; Berkelmans & Willis, 1999). Other causes of stress are above-average amounts of solar radiation, high turbidity, and low salinity. Generally, high SSTs and high levels of solar radiation go hand in hand, and are occasionally accompanied by low tides.
