The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is taking a leading role in using satellites to monitor the health of coral reefs around the world, the agency announced today. One is to use existing data from sources such as NOAA weather satellites , Landsat, the Space Shuttle, and the SPOT satellite to establish data sets that can be used as a baseline for studying coral health. Using existing data also avoids costs involved with launching new satellites. The workshop, which addressed coral health and explored the use of satellites to monitor coral health, was held in Honolulu last month. Experts from around the world also stressed the need to gain access to and use declassified military data to create a detailed, uniform set of coral reef maps that can be used to study changes in corals over time.
Coral reefs are home to about a million fish and other species.
Coral reefs also attract divers and other tourists to tropical coasts. This recreation and travel supports a significant tourism industry dependent on clean waters and healthy coral reefs. Reefs provide billions of dollars in annual revenues to countries such as the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and Egypt. In recent years, scientists have documented coral mortality at levels far greater than previously. Bleaching can be a sign that the coral is being stressed by a number of factors, including pollution, sedimentation, high light levels, reduced water levels, or changes in salinity.