Acropora palmata On Vauxhall Reef (Reef 34)

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More photos are available on the iNaturalist posts.

For 3 specimens – V1, V2 and V5 – I have photos in both 2023 and early 2024; V1 exhibited about 75% dieback in the interval, V2 and V5, 100%. Dieback is attributed to one or more extreme warming/coral bleaching events in 2023.

For 6 specimens NOT observed in both 2023 and 2024:

V3: Feb 6, 2020 – toppled and turned over; all still living
V4: Mar 3, 2019, all living
V6: Mar 7, 2019, all living
V7: Mar 23, 2015, all living
V8: Mar 10, 2024, appears unaffected by coral bleaching in 2023
V9: Apr 6, 2024, entirely dead

Specimen V1
Lat: 13.179726 Lon: -59.640668
Mar 23, 2015; on iNat in 2015:/19973670
Jan 11, 2023: iNat Observation 199689188
Feb 4, 2024 iNat Observation 199690758

. At left: Estimated Maximum Linear Dimension: 14 cm

More exposed parts of the colony are dead, attributed to coral bleaching in 2023

Specimen V2
Lat: 13.179726 Lon: -59.640668
Jan 11, 2023 iNat Observation 199689414
Feb 4, 2024 iNat Observation 199691175

Jan 11, 2023

Feb 4, 2024 apparent 100% mortality, attributed to coral bleaching in 2023

Photo on Jan 11, 2023 showing proximity of specimens V1 and V2. Specimen v1 in foreground, arrow points to Specimen V2, a few meters towards shore from V1; V2 about 1/4 size of V1.

Specimen V3

Lat: 13.179479 Lon: -59.64055
Feb 6, 2020
iNat 38391855