CORAL BLEACHING AND ELEVATED SEA-WATER TEMPERATURE IN MILNE BAY PROVINCE, PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA, 1996

A coral bleaching event began in February 1996 on reefs in Milne Bay P rovince, Papua New Guinea. Corals were affected on the shallow fringin g reef and to water depths of greater than 20 m on the reef slope. Ble aching was extensive and in the survey area 54% of all corals were ble ached. Branching corals (particularly Acropora and Pocillopora) were m ore severely affected than massive species. Bleaching occurred at the time of the annual maximum monthly sea temperature when long-term sea temperature data sets recorded an anomaly of + 1.29 degrees C, Analysi s of the anomalies over the previous 40 years shows a positive trend o f 0.09 degrees C per decade.