Satellites are game-changers for protecting coral reefs in a warming world

by

When you buy through links in our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

A healthy coral reef full of knobby, table and branching corals.

Large colonies of rock star coral and symmetrical brain coral cover the coral reef cap of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. | Credit: GP Schmahl/NOAA

Coral Reef Awareness Week took place around the world the week of July 15 as an annual reminder of the importance of these underwater ecosystems. But since these structures are crucial to both the waters they inhabit and the land we live on, I’d argue they deserve far more attention than they can get in just seven days — especially in a warming world.

In addition to their natural purpose, these habitats are also extremely important to the economy. They are responsible for approximately $9.8 trillion per year worldwide; in the United States alone, the services that coral reefs provide in the form of fisheries, tourism and coastal protection amount to more than $3.4 billion annually.

On the positive side, thanks satellitesScientists have gained a better understanding of these ‘rainforests of the sea’, which are home to nearly 25% of the planet’s marine life and more than 4,000 different species of fish.

Coral Reef Awareness Week took place around the world the week of July 15 as an annual reminder of the importance of these underwater ecosystems. But since these structures are crucial to both the waters they inhabit and the land we live on, I’d argue they deserve far more attention than they can get in just seven days — especially in a warming world.

Related: Beavers help fight climate change, satellite data shows

Large colonies of rock star coral and symmetrical brain coral cover the coral reef cap of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.Large colonies of rock star coral and symmetrical brain coral cover the coral reef cap of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

Large colonies of rock star coral and symmetrical brain coral cover the coral reef cap of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

In addition to their natural purpose, these habitats are also extremely important to the economy. They are responsible for approximately $9.8 trillion per year worldwide; in the United States alone, the services that coral reefs provide in the form of fisheries, tourism and coastal protection amount to more than $3.4 billion annually.

On the positive side, thanks satellitesScientists have gained a better understanding of these ‘rainforests of the sea’, which are home to nearly 25% of the planet’s marine life and more than 4,000 different species of fish.

“One of the biggest challenges before satellites was the coverage we had of the seafloor. We needed more boat-based technology, like sonar, to monitor different areas, but it was always patchy,” said Andrea Rivera-Sosa, project and outreach manager for the Global Conservation Science Program with the Coral Reef Alliancetold Space.com. “Certain areas had more resources and maps, and other areas that were the least explored had less coverage. Satellites bring new technology to increase our coverage with global maps.”

“When you use satellites,” Rivera-Sosa continued, “depending on the resolution and the type of imagery, you can get a big picture of the size of the reef. You can see a lot of parameters, like watercolor, and then you can take that image and process it to see the depth and the bathymetry, among other parameters. If the water is green, there’s more algae, and if it’s clear, it has less nutrients. We can also see how turbid — cloudy — it is because of suspended particles from rivers and other sources.”

A globe on a white background is circled by several illustrations of different satellites. This diagram shows the 9 satellites (5 geostationary [orange] and 4 polar orbit [blue]updated July 18, 2023) that provide data for the daily global 5 km satellite coral bleaching monitoring products.A globe on a white background is circled by several illustrations of different satellites. This diagram shows the 9 satellites (5 geostationary [orange] and 4 polar orbit [blue]updated July 18, 2023) that provide data for the daily global 5 km satellite coral bleaching monitoring products.

A globe on a white background is circled by several illustrations of different satellites. This diagram shows the 9 satellites (5 geostationary [orange] and 4 polar orbit [blue]updated July 18, 2023) that provide data for the daily global 5 km satellite coral bleaching monitoring products.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was a pioneer in establishing a network for monitoring and studying coral reefs worldwide. In the year 2000, the organization actually created a program called the Coral Reef Watch (CRW)and over the past 20 years, partnerships between reef managers and researchers have grown using images and data from NOAA satellites, computer models, and real-time observations. Overall, CRW has really helped scientists monitor the health of the reefs, as well as any threats these habitats face from pollution, climate change and overfishing.

“We know that coral reefs remain in serious trouble, particularly from ocean warming, but we also know that reducing coastal pollution and increasing fish stocks on the reef can make reefs more resilient in the long term,” Greg Asner, director of the Arizona State University Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, told Space.com. “As director of the Allen Coral Atlas (ACA)“We are in an excellent position to track how our satellite data streams are helping people manage and monitor coral reefs around the world.”

“We average about 60,000 users per year and about 600 to 800 dataset downloads per month,” Asner continued. “Our users make decisions using ACA data on marine spatial planning and conservation topics, including 35 new marine protected areas and similar designations since 2020. Many of our users also monitor water quality and coral bleaching using the ACA — the only global near-real-time source for this information on Soil.”

Global 5 km resolution satellite map for the NOAA Coral Reef Watch Coral Bleaching Alert Area Maximum, for the period January 1, 2023 through April 10, 2024. This image shows the regions of the world experiencing high levels of marine heat stress (Bleaching Alert Levels 2-5), which has the potential to trigger reef-wide coral bleaching and mortality.Global 5 km resolution satellite map for the NOAA Coral Reef Watch Coral Bleaching Alert Area Maximum, for the period January 1, 2023 through April 10, 2024. This image shows the regions of the world experiencing high levels of marine heat stress (Bleaching Alert Levels 2-5), which has the potential to trigger reef-wide coral bleaching and mortality.

Global 5 km resolution satellite map for the NOAA Coral Reef Watch Coral Bleaching Alert Area Maximum, for the period January 1, 2023 through April 10, 2024. This image shows the regions of the world experiencing high levels of marine heat stress (Bleaching Alert Levels 2-5), which has the potential to trigger reef-wide coral bleaching and mortality.

In April, NOAA announced that, for the fourth time in recorded historya global coral bleaching event is underway. Satellite images and data have given scientists and researchers confirmation of the event and the locations where corals were most stressed by these historically warm ocean waters.

A fleet of watchful eyes from room can detect changes in temperature on a fairly large scale, even in remote locations that have historically presented challenges in obtaining data. This is just one example of how satellite imagery is keeping the world informed about the impacts of climate change, helping scientists better understand our planet, identify problems, and push for positive change and adaptation.

Related Stories:

— Earth is warming faster despite promises of government action

— Human-caused global warming at record high, new report finds

— Scientists say ‘safe’ threshold for global warming will be exceeded in just 6 years

“We’re all connected to the ocean in some way. Satellites have also helped provide information about the impacts of climate change at a level that we didn’t have before. Satellite data provides support for sea surface temperature, sea level rise, bleaching, and can also provide information about ocean acidification,” Rivera-Sosa said. “Oceans help regulate our climate; they absorb all this energy that’s produced by us humans. If we continue to warm our system, our oceans will get warmer and lose their ability to regulate our climate. We’re seeing massive coral bleaching events and stronger, more intense hurricanes. And that’s impacting us everywhere we live.”

Leave a Comment