Antoine Collin returned to Hiva Oa yesterday after spending 5 days on a field campaign around the South Pacific island of Fatu Huku to test and validate the capabilities of the Sentinel-2 satellite to monitor coral bleaching.
He sent us this update:
We landed yesterday and I can say that the campaign was very successful.
We benefited from a very good and rare meteorological window so that both the swell and wind allowed the Fatu Huku survey (video, water depth, bottom texture, geolocation) to be carried out in two work days.
We found scattered bleached colonies. The shallowest colonies were lying on 8-10 m water depth.
Antoine Collin on the Sen2Coral field campaign
After that, the swell dramatically increased and the boat had to leave for a protected bay. We then reached Tahuata where we also found bleached corals along the coastline of a very protected bay.
Finally, we came back to Hiva Oa where we also prospected a coastline with shallow corals: healthy, stressed and bleached.
A constant parameter of the campaign was the water temperature: always very high for oceanic waters, greater than 30°C.
Antoine is now en route to Tahiti. Check back for updates on the results of the Sen2Coral field campaign!
Where’s Antoine?
Discussion: one comment
Aloha. My name is Dr. Angela K. Kepler & I’m writing a huge, comprehensive, holistic book on fishing canoes in Pacific cultures (>2000 photos, maps, sketches, etc.). I’m revising my Marquesas chapter now & am looking for a photo of corals in the Marquesas, especially around Fatu Huku. I’m wondering if you’d give me permission to use the photo in your article here (minus the diver). It’s bleached but, as you know, there are not many photos taken underwater in the Marquesas, given its bathymetry and coral rarity. I shall credit you, of course. If you need money, I can send it. Please reply to me. I’m very responsible, a very hard worker (and once a tough field biologist) and a highly accredited author and old-time naturalist. Thank you & good luck with your research! It is discouraging to think of coral bleaching as far east as the Marquesas.
Aloha, Angela