Allen Coral Atlas: An Initiative to Improve Coral Reef Management and Conservation
Coral reefs are among the most important, most diverse, and most beautiful ecosystems on the planet – and, in an age of climate change, they are in a period of unprecedented crisis. Warming seas are causing bleaching events on a scale never before seen; of the 109 countries in which coral reefs are found, significant […]
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Mapping Coral Reefs in the Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are a globally important case-in-point. In less than fifty years, Hawaii’s unique and highly endemic coral reefs have undergone alarming losses in coral extent and health as well as in fish populations. The Hawaiian Islands are now in a state of extremely variable reef condition driven by a complex mosaic of coastal […]
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Mapping Caribbean Coral Reefs for Conservation Action
In partnership with The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean and Planet, the Asner Lab is working to create the first ever high-resolution map of the shallow waters of the Caribbean Basin. The goal of this project is to aid coral reef restoration and protection through a better understanding of these ecosystems. To date, the Global […]
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Global CoralSpec
CoralSpec, which is short for Coral Spectranomics, is a project to develop a spectral and chemical library of the critical, habitat-forming coral species of our planet. This project aims to visit as many coral reefs as possible to collect field-based spectral measurements and samples for subsequent chemical analyses in our laboratory. This global field program […]
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Reefscape: A Global Reef Survey to Build Better Satellites for Coral Conservation
Coral reefs are special places. They contain thousands of species often assembled in kaleidoscopic patterns that defy both our scientific understanding and our imagination. Reef ecosystems feed millions of people and protect our shorelines, acting as buffers to waves and storms. The corals, fish, invertebrates and other creatures residing in reef ecosystems vary greatly from […]
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Coral Haven Project
As our oceans continue to warm and to experience heat waves caused by climate change, it is critically important to understand and to continuously update our knowledge on where corals persist. Natural reef ecosystems are the most important and geographically extensive homes for remaining corals, but other places may also harbor corals over the coming decades […]
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