Oil Spills in Coral Reefs: Planning and Response Considerations

This 2001 report summarizes relevant research on coral reefs. It was written for spill response decisionmakers and anyone working in or planning for spill response in coral reef regions.

Oil Spills in Coral Reefs is the first in a series of publications prepared by NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) to provide response-related information on specific warm-water resources.

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Oil Spills in Coral Reefs: Planning and Response Considerations If you have a fast Internet connection, you may want to download the entire report. (Document format: PDF, size: 10.4 M)

Download the Individual Chapters

Title Page, Table of Contents, Introduction (Document format: PDF, size: 938.2 K)

Chapter 1, Coral Reef Ecology Introduces pertinent aspects of  the coral ecosystem. (Document format: PDF, size: 3.5 M)

Chapter 2, Global and Local Impacts Summarizes the environmental impacts on coral from human and natural causes. (Document format: PDF, size: 896.2 K)

Chapter 3, Oil Toxicity to Corals A current review of the research available on oil toxicity to coral. (Document format: PDF, size: 1.9 M)

Chapter 4, Response Methods for Coral Reef Areas General guidance for responding to spills in coral reefs and specific considerations for open-water cleanup measures. (Document format: PDF, size: 1.0 M)

Chapter 5, Coral Reef Restoration Discusses the emerging science of restoration of damaged reefs, and presents data on recovery patterns and rates from a variety of impacts in coral habitats. (Document format: PDF, size: 1.5 M)

Chapter 6, Coral Case Studies Several case studies that illustrate a range of issues, including the new technologies being used to restore coral reefs. (Document format: PDF, size: 389.5 K)

Glossary (Document format: PDF, size: 86.9 K)

Coral Websites A list of websites that provide useful data on reefs. (Document format: PDF, size: 112.5 K)

Back to the Main Coral Page

Coral Reefs: Spills and Other Threats