PLEASE scroll down for a "sweet treat", bottom of the page check Editor comment
on Monday May 10 2010,
an article on jellyfish boom and coral bleaching around the coasts of Phuket and the entire Thai region was published on Phuket Wan (direct link at bottom of the page).
In the previous days, due to my jellyfish photos posted on facebook, I've been contacted by the editor to discuss about the rising temperature of the Andaman sea, the increase of number of jellyfish in the area and coral bleaching... I eventually provided some pictures too...
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here is the full article for you to read:
BLEACHING has whitened 90 percent of Phuket's and Thailand's coral reefs amid alarm over an unusually late hot season that has marine biologists concerned.
Divers confirm the widespread bleaching, as well as the presence of increasing numbers of jellyfish.
Niphon Phongsuwan, the coral reef specialist at the Phuket Marine Biology Centre, said reefs in both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand had begun the bleaching process in the first week of April, as sea temperatures remained unusually high.
'The key temperature is 30.1 degrees,'' he said. ''Unless the temperature drops from there, bleaching begins, and continues until the sea grows cooler.''
Diver and underwater photographer Adriano 'Wetpixel' Trapani, CEO of Dive Clan Co, confirmed that sea temperatures had remained high, triggering concerns about the coral.
''It is alarming, but I wouldn't be too concerned,'' Mr Trapani said. ''A similar event bleached coral in the Maldives a few years ago and the reefs there have returned to normal. It's a cyclical thing, probably caused by the El Nino phenomenon.
''At first we thought it might just be patches of coral that had been destroyed by the crown of thorns starfish, but now we know differently because the bleaching is so even.
''I was here for the tsunami when some reefs were damaged but now they are back the way they were.'' He said the larger threats to the reefs remained over-diving and exploitation.
Khun Niphon said coral bleaching occurred on Phuket's reefs between 1991 and 1995. ''In that time, there was less cloud protection from the sun and so quite a bit of coral died,'' he said. From 2003 to 2005, a less damaging cycle occurred, but the coral survived.
''Bleaching does not mean death for the coral, provided the monsoons come in time,'' he said. ''Coral lives on, and recovers, as long as the sun does not become too intense for too long.''
No area around Phuket had escaped bleaching, Khun Niphon said. With concern growing about long-term global warming, Khun Niphon is researching which types of coral are most resistant to bleaching so that the hardiest kinds of coral can be encouraged in future.
While the event could be coincidental, Mr Trapani said he had noticed an increasing number of jellyfish in waters near Phi Phi island, between Phuket and Coral Island, on the way to Raya island and in Chalong Bay, on Phuket. The jellyfish were capable of inflicting a mild sting, like sunburn, but not dangerous.
A spokesman for Phuket's weather bureau said that the monsoon usually came soon after the Songkran Festival of mid-April, but this year, extending into May, Phuket and southern Thailand had yet to see the heat break.
The spokesman preferred not to give his name, and said he had no idea why the monsoon was so late this year.
The bureau does not analyse year-on-year statistics and is therefore unable to give detailed information about possible future trends.
There is no way of knowing when the extended spell of heat will break this year.
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some comments were posted by readers (obviously)...
one above all got my attention:
I can find no evidence of Dive Clan Co Ltd on the Internet and as I am a published semi pro underwater photographer and member of Wetpixel.com. I can find no evidence to backup Mr Adriano on wetpixel.
I was on a boat in the Similan islands when the tsunami hit. If you would like to know then email me. I remember the sites before and can still see the damage, but it's regenerating really quick on some dive sites.
I like your site but please get better informed/knowledgeable people in their specialist area, not some dive guy who comes here for a few months every year.
Keep up the quality work.
Editor: We'd heard the diving industry was ferociously competitive. Now we know it's true. Thanks, but we believe the official survey after the tsunami got it right in reporting that about 10 percent of corals had been seriously damaged, mostly reefs in narrow stretches between islands in the Similans.
Posted by John on Tuesday May 11, 2010 at 01:59
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THIS is my answer (please note the EDITOR comment at the end!!!):
I've just noticed the comment Posted by John on Tuesday May 11, 2010 at 01:59...
First of all Dive Clan is a registered and fully functioning (yet small) dive business in Phuket. No website yet (is it the requirement to make it official to you John?).
For those living in Thailand should be a no brainer to know that there are thousands of registered tiny companies without a website...
anyway, lets move on...
The fact that among my nicknames I've been given by friends that of "wetpixel", doesn't necessarily mean I HAVE to be a member of that specific community... John, do you have any idea of how many UW photography website are out there???
Lastly, regarding your "I like your site but please get better informed/knowledgeable people in their specialist area, not some dive guy who comes here for a few months every year.":
I've been living and working in Phuket for the last 6 years continuously, I might be a rookie compared to a "similan god" like you (still to be verified as I know your name only and no other contacts details) YET, I didn't brag about it, I didn't contact Phuketwan and so on... THEY called me after I published some jellyfish pictures on Facebook! They called, I answered to the best of my knowledge!
All the best to you, to Phuket and to our beloved Similan...
Editor: Good to have your response, Adriano. There are some people who are always looking down, even though they are at 200 metres and still sinking. Happy to have your contributions any time.
Posted by Adriano on Wednesday June 23, 2010 at 08:43
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is that all? who knows, maybe John will answer back...
anyway, this is the direct link to Phuket Wan for those of you who want to check all responses...
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