Status of Kawaihae Reef inner harbor 9.4.2016

5.13.2014 healthy coral
5.13.2014 healthy coral

Kawaihae Reef inner harbor condition as seen in May 2014. The August 17, 2015, flash flood in this area covered the entire inner harbor reef with silt. A major global bleaching event had just begun for the Kawaihae Reef when the runoff smothered it. Normally, corals in the protected harbor were very healthy and dense, in contrast to those outside the break wall.

4.15.2016 dead coral
4.15.2016 silt smothered dead coral

I was so disheartened to photograph the thing until 8 months after that flood. Here in April 2016, there are signs of recovery. I believe 99% of the coral colonies were smothered. Here, you can see approximately 1-3% recovery.

Plate and Pillar, Porites rus coral survived the silt and global coral bleaching best and recovered much quicker than others.

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