Ambergis Caye

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Ambergis Caye
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Coral reefs
Second largest barrier reef in the world
70 hard coral species 36 soft coral species 500
species of fish several hundreds of invertebrate
species
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Distribution of coral reefs
Coral reefs are disappearing at an alarming rate
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Ocean temperature 1.35 million years
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Sea level over last 150,000 years
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Greenland 1992 versus 2002
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LIFE ON THE CORAL REEF
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Species of concern
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Demise of Diadema antillarumJanuary 1983-
February 1984
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Diadema foraging kept surfaces algae-free
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As urchins recover, algae growth is decreasing
and corals are recovering
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But is may be too lateCoral cover throughout
Caribbean
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Caye Chapel
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Turneffe Islands Atoll coral reef surrounding
a lagoon usually an old volcano that has
subsided. Sandy beaches formed from coral
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Mangrove forests
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Mangrove succession
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Resorts started for bonefish
Albula vulpes
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BLUE HOLE
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HALF MOON CAYE
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Glover Reef Marine Station
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Hurricanes path of Hattie
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Caused capital to be move to Belmopan Storm
surge 25 miles inland Hattieville was refugee
camp - People never went back
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Hurricane Mitch 1998
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Loss of Life from Central American and Caribbean
Hurricanes

• Great Hurricane October 1780
  Martinique, St. Eustatius, Barbados, Offshore
  22,000
• Hurricane Mitch OctoberNovember 1998
  Central America 10,000
• Hurricane Fifi September 1974
  Honduras 3,00010,000
• Unnamed September 1930
  Dominican Republic 2,0008,000
• Hurricane Flora SeptemberOctober 1963
  Haiti and Cuba 7,2008,000
• Unnamed September 1776 Martinique 6,000

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Major hurricanes Central America Northern
Caribbean Southern Caribbean
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1945 - 2 un-named 1950 - 1953 None
Hurricanes that hit (H) or
touched (T) Belize 1954 - Gilda (T) 1955 - 1959
none 1960 - Abby (T) 1961 - Anna (H), Hattie
(H) 1962 - 1968 none 1969 - Francelia (H) Barely
touching the southern tip of Belize 1970
none 1971 - Chloe (T), Edith (H), Laura (T) 1972
- 1973 None 1974 - Fifi (H), Carmen (H) Barely
touching the northern Tip of Belize 1975 - 1976
None 1977 - Freida (T) 1978 - Greta (H) 1979
None 1980 - Hermine (T) 1981 - 1992 None 1993 -
Gert (T) 1994 - 1999 None 2000 - Keith (H) 2001
- Iris (H), Chantal (T) Barely touching the
northern tip of Belize 2005 - Emily (T), Wilma
(T)
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Placencia Hurricane Iris 2001
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Global Warming May Be Homing In on Atlantic
Hurricanes Katrina before and after
Gulf of Mexico surface temperature was 90 degrees
F
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EL NINO
Water to the west
Water moves east
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Marine Products Exported from Belize in 1999
Fish
65,000 pounds Lobster
606,000 Sea shrimp
34,000 Conch
365,000 Farmed shrimp
4,603,000 5.6 of the GDP 17
of domestic export 55,600,000 BZ
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Queen conch and spiny lobster
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Harvest rates
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Fallacy of harvest rates
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PERUVIAN ANCHOVES
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Loss of biodiversity from LMEs
29 of currently fished species considered
collapsed