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Coral reefs are in peril worldwide for a variety of reasons, including excessive sedimentation, eutrophication, bleaching due to high seawater temperature, overfishing, anchor damage, and boat grounding. Reefs in remote areas are declining due to reasons not yet well established. Mapping is an important first step in identifying these changes. However, the lack of geographic and thematic maps of coral reefs has been identified by a number of agencies and academic panels as a major weakness in our understanding of reefs and our ability to assess change.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has the capability to produce digital image maps useful for conducting unprecedented detailed mapping of coral reef environments. The USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program has funded a project to study geologic processes affecting coral reef habitats. A component of this project is to investigate the use of remotely sensed image and spatial data to help map and study coral reef environments. Interpretation of the remotely sensed data is corroborated by extensive field mapping and correlation with field measured distribution and density of coral cover. The focus of this web page deals with the remote sensing work done for the Pacific Ocean component of the USGS coral reef project.

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The main goal of this project task is to investigate and analyze remotely sensed image data to determine their applicability for detecting and mapping the location of live and dead reef areas, density of coral cover, and the major type of coral present, as well as algae, silt/mud, and carbonate sand cover. High resolution multitemporal airborne image data are being analyzed for their potential to help map coral reef environments, and to detect change and monitor clear shallow waters.

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Our main effort up to now has been on the island of Moloka'i, Hawai'i. Presented on the following webpage are some of the USGS research and applications of remote sensing to the coral reef environment on Moloka'i. Included are image maps and products generated using a variety of sources of remotely sensed data for the USGS Project for Geologic Studies of Coral Reef Habitats:

Moloka'i, Hawai'i

The USGS Project for Geologic Studies of Coral Reef Habitats also includes investigations in Oahu, Maui, and Biscayne National Park, Florida. Information, maps, and imagery from the remote sensing research in these regions will be linked on this page as they become available.

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• Research
  • United States Coral Reef Task Force
  • USGS CMG: Coral Mortality and African Dust

• Education
  • USGS: Paper Models that Describe Island Coral Reefs

• Coral Reef Information
  • USGS Sound Waves - Coastal and Marine Geology News:
    • USGS Looks at Moloka'i's Coral Reefs
    • Coral Reef Studies on Moloka'i: a Progress Report
    • Coral Reef Studies Featured in Moloka'i's Newspaper
  • USGS: Protecting the Nation's Coral Reefs
  • NOAA
    • Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve
    • Coral Reefs
    • Photo Library
      • Sanctuaries
      • Coral Kingdom
      • National Undersea Research Program
  • ICLARM ReefBase
  • United Nations Environment Programme: Global Environment Outlook 2000 (search for "coral reef")
  • South Florida Restoration Science Forum

• General Area Information
  • Moloka'i Visitors Association
  • Maui Visitors Bureau
  • NPS: Biscayne National Park

• Other Information
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: SHOALS Lidar system
  • USGS TerraWeb: MIPS Image Processing System
  • USGS CMG: Pacific Seafloor Mapping Project - Hawai'ian Islands

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Acknowlegements: There are other USGS and University of Hawai'i scientists involved in the coral reefs project whose field data have been used, are being used, or will be used to help in the analysis and interpretation of the remotely sensed images. Example data sets includes sediment thickness, suspended sediments, algae types, coral density, and coral types. Those involved include Curt Storlazzi of the University of California, Santa Cruz; Andrea Ogsten of the University of Washington; and Paul L. Jokiel, Lucile Marchese, and Will Smith of the University of Hawai'i;

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For more information on remote sensing applications and results, including the digital image maps contact:

Pat S. Chavez, Jr.
Email: pchavez@usgs.gov
U.S. Geological Survey
Flagstaff Field Office
2255 N. Gemini Dr.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Tel: (520) 556-7221
FAX: (520) 556-7169

For information on the overall project, including sedimentation issues, contact:

Michael E. Field
Email: mfield@usgs.gov
U.S. Geological Survey
USGS Pacific Science Center
University of California
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Tel: (831) 459-3428
FAX: (831) 459-2336

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