Process / pipelineClimate Impact Assessment
Degree Heating Weeks
Degree Heating Weeks (DHW) is a thermal stress metric that quantifies accumulated heat exposure above a coral bleaching threshold, computed from satellite sea surface temperature data. Developed by NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program in 2003, DHW provides a standardized index for predicting and monitoring coral bleaching stress globally. The metric combines intensity and duration of thermal anomalies to estimate cumulative physiological stress on coral colonies.
Open in MethodMindSoonVideoSoon
Read the full method
Members only
Sign inSign in with a free account to read this section.
Sources
- Liu, G., Strong, A. E., & Skirving, W. (2003). Remote sensing of sea surface temperatures during 2002 Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching. EOS Transactions, 84(15), 137-141. link ↗
- Strong, A. E., Liu, G., Meyer, V., et al. (2016). Integrating thermal habitat monitoring and coral bleaching forecasting. Coral Reefs, 35(1), 1-7. DOI: 10.1007/s00338-015-1377-9 ↗