Guam avoids severe coral bleaching predicted for this year

Official say vulnerable coral reefs on Guam have not experienced severe bleaching that was predicted for this year.

Pacific Daily News reported that the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans says a mass coral bleaching event indicated by satellite measurements of sea surface temperatures did not occur.

Officials say recent stormy weather including Super Typhoon Hagibis may have contributed to the coral's survival through cloud cover that cooled surface water temperatures.

Officials say storms and wind are also likely to have created cooling water movement.

The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Watch program indicated in July that the island would likely experience significant bleaching, which often precedes coral death.

A coral reef resilience coordinator with the statistics and plans bureau says Guam has "so far been very lucky."

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