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 […]
Learn more about this project
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 […]
Learn more about this project
Mapping Caribbean Coral Reefs for Conservation Action
In partnership with The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean, Planet, and Vulcan Inc., the Asner Lab has produced high-resolution maps of important shallow underwater habitats throughout the entire Caribbean—including all shallow-water coral reefs. For the first time ever, countries and territories now have a clear picture of the habitats found beneath the waves of the […]
Learn more about this project
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 […]
Learn more about this project
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 […]
Learn more about this project
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 […]
Learn more about this project