Coral Reef Watch (NOAA)
NOAA's Coral Reef Watch uses satellites to warn of the ocean heat that bleaches corals, with daily monitoring of 95% of the world's coral reefs (NOAA).
Image: NASA (ISS068-E-004262, Sept. 30, 2022).
Last reviewed: 4 sources cited
Email alerts paused since 2022
The Satellite Bleaching Alert email system is currently down: alerts since April 7, 2022 have not been updated with new data. To subscribe or change a subscription, NOAA asks people to write to coralreefwatch@noaa.gov. The daily maps and data on the website are not affected.
Source: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Satellite Bleaching Alert emails
Explain Like I'm 10
- Corals are tiny animals that build reefs, and too much heat makes them turn white.
- NOAA satellites check the ocean's temperature every day.
- Reef managers use the warnings to protect corals before it is too late.
The Five W's of Coral Reef Watch
Who
NOAA Coral Reef Watch, part of NOAA's satellite service (NESDIS).
What
Daily global 5 km satellite products: sea surface temperature, heat stress (Degree Heating Weeks) and When water stays too warm, corals push out the tiny algae living inside them and turn white. Bleached corals can recover, but they may starve and die if the heat lasts. Glossary alert areas.
When
The current daily 5 km products run from 1985 to the present. Their 50 km predecessors served reef managers for more than 20 years (1997-2020).
Where
Reefs worldwide, with regional views from Hawaii and Florida to the Coral Triangle and the Great Barrier Reef.
Why
Heat stress causes coral bleaching. Early warnings help reef managers act.
Impact Statement
Agency solution · active
Coral Reef Watch's 5 km products allow direct monitoring of 95% of global coral reefs and form the core of its decision support for reef management (NOAA).
Source: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Daily global 5km products
For Further Information: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Daily global 5km products
Coral Reef Watch says its Satellite Bleaching Alert email system is down and has not been updated with new data since April 7, 2022. Its maps and data online still update daily (NOAA).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
The products give reef managers decision support at or near reef scale, with data gaps from cloud cover greatly reduced (NOAA).
Source: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Daily global 5km products
For Nature
Daily heat-stress maps warn when ocean heat reaches levels that cause coral bleaching, so reef managers can act (NOAA).
Get Involved With Coral Reef Watch
Want to go deeper? NOAA has the full Coral Reef Watch story.
For Further InformationRelated Solutions
More solutions like this one, matched by meaning.
Help This Work
This is a public mission, so there is nothing to donate. You can explore its free data or join a citizen science project.