@article{3c91156ebce4426092d250963ecfa349,
title = "Localized bleaching and quick recovery in Hong Kong's coral communities",
abstract = "During the summer of 2017 we visited 33 sites with substantial coral cover across Hong Kong waters. At six sites where coral bleaching was observed, video-transect surveys were conducted, which revealed 18.7% to 56.1% bleached colonies and 5.9% to 57.6% bleached coral covered area per site. Mainly affected were three plate-like and three massive coral species. Water quality parameters were analyzed, which indicated that hyposalinity might have triggered the bleaching event. Tagging and follow-up field observation revealed a pattern of recovery depending on coral growth form, with high recovery rates (>93%) at five sites dominated by massive and submassive corals, but moderate (70%) at a site dominated by plate-like corals. Our study shows that the corals of Hong Kong exhibit differential susceptibility to bleaching and ability to recover, therefore it is imperative to establish a long-term monitoring programme to detect the changes in community structure over time.",
keywords = "Coral community, Coral health, Global warming, Hyposalinity, South China Sea",
author = "Xie, {James Y.} and Yeung, {Yip Hung} and Kwok, {Chun Kit} and Keith Kei and Put Ang and Chan, {Leo Lai} and Cheang, {Chi Chiu} and Chow, {Wing kuen} and Jianwen QIU",
note = "Funding Information: This study was supported by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region , and Environment and Conservation Fund (project no. 2017-03 ). We thank the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation for permission to publish this paper. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the government. Funding Information: This study was supported by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Environment and Conservation Fund (project no. 2017-03). We thank the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation for permission to publish this paper. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the government. JWQ, WKC, KK, LLC and PA designed the study, JYX, YHY and CKK conducted field surveys, JYX and JWQ drafted the manuscript, all authors edited the manuscript and approved it for publication.",
year = "2020",
month = apr,
doi = "10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110950",
language = "English",
volume = "153",
journal = "Marine Pollution Bulletin",
issn = "0025-326X",
publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",
}