Marine heatwaves are discrete and prolonged periods of anomalously warm seawater temperature which have devastating ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Being part of the center of marine biodiversity and a fisheries-dependent country, the Philippines is vulnerable to the threats of marine heatwaves, but these extreme events remain understudied in the country. It is, therefore, crucial to investigate the development of marine heatwaves and to assess and predict the impacts of these events in the Philippine seas. In this perspective paper, we aim to put forward the research direction for advancing our understanding of marine heatwaves and their impacts in the Philippines. The limited studies on marine heatwaves in the Philippines highlight the need for progress in understanding the spatiotemporal patterns, physical processes, and impacts of marine heatwaves in the country. Advancing our knowledge of marine heatwaves will help us formulate mitigating strategies for ocean warming in fisheries management and marine biodiversity conservation in the Philippines.
Coral reefs offer valuable ecosystem goods and services, such as coastal protection, erosion regulation, fishery, biodiversity, habitat and nursery grounds. However, they face threats from anthropogenic activities, including poor water quality, global warming, coastal development and unsustainable fisheries. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) provide a structured and holistic approach in addressing these threats. Regular monitoring and assessment of these MPAs are crucial components in evaluating the MPAs design and effectiveness. Two coral reefs (i.e. Poblacion and Kadurong Reefs) were established as MPAs in Liloan, Cebu, Philippines to protect crucial habitat and biodiversity with the hope of improving fisheries by avoiding fish stock disintegration. These coral reefs provide shelter to many commercially-significant fish species, supporting subsistence and livelihood in the community. These MPAs are not only biologically rich, but they also support socio-economic stability. Hence, management and protection of the coral reefs in the MPAs of Liloan, Cebu is of paramount importance. To formulate conservation and applicable management measures, research and monitoring should be in place. This paper presents the data collected from the short term monitoring in the Poblaction and Kadurong Reefs. The paper describes an important set of data that can be used by the stakeholders to benchmark biophysical assessments for management of marine-protected areas in Liloan. This data paper provides baseline information on the health of the coral reefs of the MPAs in Liloan, Cebu. Datasets covering physico-chemical and biological parameters inclusive of water quality, coral reef cover, fish and plankton occurrence and abundance were determined using the standard protocols for surveying tropical marine resources. The results will serve as a benchmark in formulating guidelines and implementing relevant policies for the effective management and protection of the MPAs in Liloan, Cebu, Philippines.
Globally, observations on marine species during marine heatwaves (MHWs) help outline the scope of the MHWʼs possible biological effects. In line with this effort, this paper presents a 2020 MHW that coincided with a reported ʻtomato jellyfishʼ (Crambione mastigophora Maas, 1903) bloom on 23 March 2020 in the Corong-Corong Bay of Palawan, Philippines. Detecting a moderate MHW from 21 March to 04 April 2020, the analysis of sea surface temperatures revealed that most areas surrounding the bloom site attained their peak positive anomalies on the same day as the reported bloom. Certain physical mechanisms present in the first quarter of 2020 may have played a role in the occurrence of both events: the presence of cyclonic eddies and parallel monsoonal winds alongshore can induce upwelling which promotes biological productivity in surface waters, while the observed weakening of winds have been associated with anomalous warming of the sea surface. Further studies are still highly recommended to determine the exact causes of the jellyfish bloom and what conditions make it more likely to happen during MHWs. However, if the C. mastigophora is hypothetically able to continually bloom amidst warming temperatures, the increasing trend of MHW frequency and intensity in the West Philippine Sea (where the reported bloom site is situated) may consequently yield more future co-occurrences. This paper aims to hopefully contribute to the existing knowledge of possible biological impacts associated with extreme marine events, especially in the Philippine context where both jellyfish blooms and MHWs are understudied.
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