Table 1. Degree heating days (DHD) and heating rate (HR) at sites in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

	DHD Jul.	HR Jul.	DHD Aug.	HR Aug.	DHD Sep.	HR Sep.
Qatar	21.4	0.9	74.3	2.4	40.66	1.35
Abu Dhabi	12.84	0.64	36.1	1.16	25.56	1.34

The peak in DHD in August suggests onset of bleaching in that month. DHD and HR are lower in Abu Dhabi since the site has ∼1°C higher long-term summer mean temperatures than Qatar, thus requiring less heat to reach the bleaching threshold.