Photo Monitoring Observations
July 18, 2001
This is the second in a series of coral reef observations that we will be presenting on line shortly after each dive takes place. We are currently diving in the Key West area and will be returning to sites that have been part of the Reef Relief Photo Monitoring Survey for the past eight years.
For background information go to the Coral Stress section on this web site in order to get a better understanding of the events that have taken place on this reef over the past eight years.
Rock Key Reef 1993 image aerial 01
History
Rock Key Reef is located approximately six miles south of Key West Florida.
In 1993 Rit was home to some of the most beautiful Elkhorn coral in the
Caribbean. An unprecedented chain of manmade and natural events have degraded
this coral reef in less than a decade. In 1998 coral bleaching, massive
algae blooms, snail predation and coral diseases struck this reef like
a meteor shower.
In May of 1997, during one of our routine photo monitoring dives, a new
coral disease was first observed. Coral expert Dr. James Porter from the
University of Georgia, was taken to the infected site where he named the
new ailment White Pox. Since then Dr. Porter has devoted much of his time
collaborating with other coral reef researchers, in an attempt to identify
the pathogen that caused the outbreak. There are several other white coral
diseases that infect elkhorn coral, however, none of them have the speckled
characteristics of the White Pox disease.
05/14/97 White Pox image WP1
Rock Key Reef 1993 image aerial 02
