From dynamite fishing to global warming, we are rapidly sending the world's reefs into oblivion. The latest reports state that as much as 27 percent of monitored reef formations have been lost and as much as 32 percent are at risk of being lost within the next 32 years. For marine biologists, the destruction of the reefs has proven to be as frustrating as it is heartbreaking. Because reef habitats are so complex, and because worldwide reef monitoring and mapping efforts only began a little over a decade ago, scientists simply do not have enough information to keep tabs on the destruction of the reefs, let alone come up with an effective solution. At the rate the reefs are disappearing, they may be beyond repair by the time a comprehensive plan to save reefs can be put into place.
Coral reefs rival the tropical rainforests as the most diverse ecosystems on Earth.
With a wide variey of plant, animal, and microbial life, they are not only beautiful destination for divers, but an important indicator of ocean health. Scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and at several universities around the world, however, may have at least a partial solution to this problem. They have been examining detailed images of the ocean collected by the Landsat 7 and other high-resolution remote sensing satellites. While these types of satellites were primarily launched to observe land-based change, they have also been found to produce detailed images of shallow waters around the ocean's margins. Using these images, the scientists have been able to map reefs in a fraction of the time it takes to map them by boat or airplane.