High-Resolution Coral Reef Bleaching Tools: A Decision Support System to Help Managers Protect Reefs in a Changing Climate

C. Mark Eakin, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, mark.eakin@noaa.gov (Presenter)
Jianke Li, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, jianke.li@noaa.gov
Maria Vega-Rodriguez, University of South Florida, mariavegarod@mail.usf.edu
Frank Muller-Karger, University of South Florida, carib@marine.usf.edu
Gang Liu, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, gang.liu@noaa.gov
Scott Heron, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, scott.heron@noaa.gov
Liane Guild, NASA ARC, liane.s.guild@nasa.gov
Louisa Wood, UNEP WCMC, louisa.wood@unep-wcmc.org
Susan Lynds, University of Colorado, susan.lynds@colorado.edu
Tyler Christensen, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, tyler.christensen@noaa.gov
Ramakrishna R. Nemani, NASA ARC, rama.nemani@nasa.gov
Jacqueline Rauenzahn, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, jacqueline.shapo@noaa.gov
William Skirving, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, william.skirving@noaa.gov
Tim Burgess, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, tim.burgess@noaa.gov

Climate change is already having severe impacts on coral reef ecosystems. Warming oceans have caused corals to bleach, or expel their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) with alarming frequency and severity and have contributed to a rise in coral infectious diseases. These impacts are killing corals and slowing reef growth, reducing biodiversity and the structure needed to provide crucial ecosystem services.

NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch (CRW) uses a combination of satellite data, in situ observations, and models to provide coral reef managers, scientists, and others with information needed to monitor threats to coral reefs. This advance notice allows resource managers to protect corals, coral reefs, and the services they provide.

A project funded in part by NASA’s Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Focus Area entitled A Decision Support System for Ecosystem-Based Management of Tropical Coral Reef Environments is working to enhance the CRW sea surface temperature data products. This collaboration includes the University of South Florida, NOAA, NASA, the University of Colorado, and United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Through application of NASA advanced supercomputing facilities and NASA and NOAA data, sea surface temperature (SST) data, the team is enhancing the CRW suite of coral bleaching products to build a new Decision Support System to monitor and forecast coral reef bleaching events around the world at resolutions between 1-11 km. The project is building new 5-11 km global products and 1 km regional products for Florida, the Caribbean, and the Great Barrier Reef.

This poster and talk will focus on the development of new satellite and model-based tools that monitor the risk of coral bleaching as well as work with resource managers and other users to assure that these products are as applicable to resource decision making as practicable.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Science in Support of Decision Making   (Wed 10:00 AM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Muller-Karger, Frank: A Decision Support System for Ecosystem-Based Management of Tropical Coral Reef Environments ...details

Poster Location ID: 138