Coral Reef Project Active
Explore the fascinating undersea world of coral reefs. Learn how we map, monitor, and model coral reefs so we can better understand, protect, and preserve our Nation's reefs.
Coral reefs are unique ecosystems of plants, animals, and their associated geological framework. Coral reefs cover less than 0.5 percent of the earth's surface, but are home to an estimated 25 percent of all marine species. Second only to tropical rainforests in size and complexity, some scientists estimate that more than one million species of plants and animals are associated with coral reefs. Coral reefs are also of great economic importance to those who live on or visit islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Reefs shelter and provide nursery grounds for many commercially and culturally important species of fish and invertebrates, they protect the islands' harbors, beaches, and shorelines from erosion and wave damage by storms, and they are vital to the marine tourism industry. These diverse ecosystems provide valuable goods and services worth about $4 billion each year to the U.S.’s coastal communities. Yet, as important as coral reefs are, these ecosystems are being threatened worldwide.
More than 8,500 square miles (22,000 square kilometers) of coral reef habitat is found in U.S. waters. Most of these coral reefs still appear to be relatively healthy, but some areas of dead and dying coral have been found in recent years. The causes of this degradation are poorly known, but are probably in part related to human activities.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), working closely with academic institutions, state, and other Federal agencies, is spearheading an effort to better understand the geologic and oceanographic controls on the structure and processes of our Nation's coral reef ecosystems.
This web site is a gateway to USGS studies of coral reefs. We focus on the geophysical processes that influence the health and sustainability of coral reefs. From this work we are gaining new insight into the structure of coral reefs, providing the basis for future monitoring, and understanding better both the influences of natural processes and impacts of human activities on coral reef health. These efforts will help to preserve and protect the biodiversity, health, and social and economic value of these remarkable habitats.
Read more coral reef facts.
Learn about our current studies by topic.
Climate Change and Land-use Histories
We are developing new and unique oceanographic and environmental archives from coral skeleton records to better understand the compounding effects of land-use and environmental change on coral reef health.
We are conducting geophysical and geochemical research to address questions about coastal groundwater-to-reef flow and coral reef health, with the goal of informing management decisions related to planning and implementing activities in priority watershed-coral reef systems.
Reef Hydrodynamics and Sediment Processes
We are developing a better understanding how tides, waves, currents, and both land- and reef-derived sediment influence the development of coral reefs and their adjacent shorelines.
Role of Reefs in Coastal Protection
We are combining ocean, engineering, ecologic, social, and economic modeling to provide a high-resolution, rigorous, spatially-explicit valuation of the coastal flood protection benefits provided by coral reefs and the cost effectiveness of reef restoration for enhancing those benefits.
Reef Resource Assessments - Planning for the Future
We are mapping and assessing all of the important geologic and oceanographic factors to identify those coral reefs most at risk and those reefs that are potentially the most resilient and the most likely to recover from natural and human-driven impacts.
Also, learn about our studies by location:
- Guam
- Hawai‛i
- Kaho‛olawe
- Kaua‛i
- Kwajalein Island
- Lāna‛i
- Maui
- Moloka‛i
- O‛ahu
- Puerto Rico
- Roi-Namur Island
- Tutuila
Please also see the associated Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST) Project website.
Our partners are numerous and include:
- U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF)
- Department of the Interior
- Other Federal Partners
- State Partners
- Territorial and Commonwealth Partners
- Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Land and Natural Resources
- American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources
- Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
- U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources
- Academia
- University of California Santa Cruz - Institute of Marine Sciences
- University of Western Australia - Oceans Institute
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez - Center for Applied Ocean Science & Engineering
- University of Hawaiʻi - Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Department of Geology and Geophysics
- Delft University of Technology - Department of Hydraulic Engineering
- Queen's University - Department of Civil Engineering
- University of Cantabria - Department of Sciences and Techniques in Water and Environment
- Non-governmental Organizations
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below is a list of our project publications.
Nearshore water quality and coral health indicators along the west coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi, 2010–2014
Spectral wave-driven bedload transport across a coral reef flat/lagoon complex
Internal tides can provide thermal refugia that will buffer some coral reefs from future global warming
The importance of explicitly modelling sea-swell waves for runup on reef-lined coasts
In situ observations of wave transformation and infragravity bore development across reef flats of varying geomorphology
Hydro-morphological characterization of coral reefs for wave runup prediction
Physicochemical controls on zones of higher coral stress where Black Band Disease occurs at Mākua Reef, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi
The major coral reefs of Maui Nui, Hawai‘i—distribution, physical characteristics, oceanographic controls, and environmental threats
The risk reduction benefits of the Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico
Coastal development and climate change are dramatically increasing the risks of flooding, erosion, and extreme weather events. Coral reefs and other coastal ecosystems act as natural defenses against coastal hazards, but their degradation increases risk to people and property. Environmental degradation, however, has rarely been quantified as a driver of coastal risk. In Quintana Roo, Mexico, a reg
Assessing morphologic controls on atoll island alongshore sediment transport gradients due to future sea-level rise
Spatial and temporal variability in ripple formation and migration across a coral reef flat and lagoon
Rigorously valuing the role of U.S. coral reefs in coastal hazard risk reduction
Below are news stories associated with this project.
USGS Investigations of coral reefs are cooperative efforts, and our scientists are working in partnership and cooperation with the following organizations.
- Overview
Explore the fascinating undersea world of coral reefs. Learn how we map, monitor, and model coral reefs so we can better understand, protect, and preserve our Nation's reefs.
Coral reefs are unique ecosystems of plants, animals, and their associated geological framework. Coral reefs cover less than 0.5 percent of the earth's surface, but are home to an estimated 25 percent of all marine species. Second only to tropical rainforests in size and complexity, some scientists estimate that more than one million species of plants and animals are associated with coral reefs. Coral reefs are also of great economic importance to those who live on or visit islands in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Reefs shelter and provide nursery grounds for many commercially and culturally important species of fish and invertebrates, they protect the islands' harbors, beaches, and shorelines from erosion and wave damage by storms, and they are vital to the marine tourism industry. These diverse ecosystems provide valuable goods and services worth about $4 billion each year to the U.S.’s coastal communities. Yet, as important as coral reefs are, these ecosystems are being threatened worldwide.
More than 8,500 square miles (22,000 square kilometers) of coral reef habitat is found in U.S. waters. Most of these coral reefs still appear to be relatively healthy, but some areas of dead and dying coral have been found in recent years. The causes of this degradation are poorly known, but are probably in part related to human activities.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), working closely with academic institutions, state, and other Federal agencies, is spearheading an effort to better understand the geologic and oceanographic controls on the structure and processes of our Nation's coral reef ecosystems.
This web site is a gateway to USGS studies of coral reefs. We focus on the geophysical processes that influence the health and sustainability of coral reefs. From this work we are gaining new insight into the structure of coral reefs, providing the basis for future monitoring, and understanding better both the influences of natural processes and impacts of human activities on coral reef health. These efforts will help to preserve and protect the biodiversity, health, and social and economic value of these remarkable habitats.
Read more coral reef facts.
Learn about our current studies by topic.
Climate Change and Land-use Histories
We are developing new and unique oceanographic and environmental archives from coral skeleton records to better understand the compounding effects of land-use and environmental change on coral reef health.
We are conducting geophysical and geochemical research to address questions about coastal groundwater-to-reef flow and coral reef health, with the goal of informing management decisions related to planning and implementing activities in priority watershed-coral reef systems.
Reef Hydrodynamics and Sediment Processes
We are developing a better understanding how tides, waves, currents, and both land- and reef-derived sediment influence the development of coral reefs and their adjacent shorelines.
Role of Reefs in Coastal Protection
We are combining ocean, engineering, ecologic, social, and economic modeling to provide a high-resolution, rigorous, spatially-explicit valuation of the coastal flood protection benefits provided by coral reefs and the cost effectiveness of reef restoration for enhancing those benefits.
Reef Resource Assessments - Planning for the Future
We are mapping and assessing all of the important geologic and oceanographic factors to identify those coral reefs most at risk and those reefs that are potentially the most resilient and the most likely to recover from natural and human-driven impacts.
Also, learn about our studies by location:
- Guam
- Hawai‛i
- Kaho‛olawe
- Kaua‛i
- Kwajalein Island
- Lāna‛i
- Maui
- Moloka‛i
- O‛ahu
- Puerto Rico
- Roi-Namur Island
- Tutuila
Please also see the associated Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies (CREST) Project website.
Our partners are numerous and include:
- U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF)
- Department of the Interior
- Other Federal Partners
- State Partners
- Territorial and Commonwealth Partners
- Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Land and Natural Resources
- American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources
- Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
- U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources
- Academia
- University of California Santa Cruz - Institute of Marine Sciences
- University of Western Australia - Oceans Institute
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez - Center for Applied Ocean Science & Engineering
- University of Hawaiʻi - Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Department of Geology and Geophysics
- Delft University of Technology - Department of Hydraulic Engineering
- Queen's University - Department of Civil Engineering
- University of Cantabria - Department of Sciences and Techniques in Water and Environment
- Non-governmental Organizations
- Science
- Data
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 22No Result Found - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below is a list of our project publications.
Filter Total Items: 163Nearshore water quality and coral health indicators along the west coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi, 2010–2014
Coral reefs worldwide are experiencing rapid degradation in response to climate and land-use change, namely effects of warming sea-surface temperatures, contaminant runoff, and overfishing. Extensive coral bleaching caused by the steady rise of sea-surface temperatures is projected to increase, but our understanding and ability to predict where corals may be most resilient to this effect is limiteAuthorsEric E. Grossman, Lisa Marrack, Nathan R. vanArendonkSpectral wave-driven bedload transport across a coral reef flat/lagoon complex
Coral reefs are an important source of sediment for reef-lined coasts by helping to maintain beaches while also providing protection in the form of wave energy dissipation. Understanding the mechanisms by which sediment is delivered to the coast as well as better constraining the total volumes generated are critical for projecting future coastal change. A month-long hydrodynamics and sediment tranAuthorsKurt J. Rosenberger, Curt D. Storlazzi, Olivia Cheriton, Andrew Pomeroy, Jeff E. Hansen, Ryan Lowe, Mark BuckleyInternal tides can provide thermal refugia that will buffer some coral reefs from future global warming
Observations show ocean temperatures are rising due to climate change, resulting in a fivefold increase in the incidence of regional-scale coral bleaching events since the 1980s; analyses based on global climate models forecast bleaching will become an annual event for most of the world’s coral reefs within 30–50 yr. Internal waves at tidal frequencies can regularly flush reefs with cooler waters,AuthorsCurt D. Storlazzi, Olivia Cheriton, Ruben Van Hooidonk, Zhongxiang Zhao, Russell E. BrainardThe importance of explicitly modelling sea-swell waves for runup on reef-lined coasts
The importance of explicitly modelling sea-swell waves for runup was examined using a 2D XBeach short wave-averaged (surfbeat, “XB-SB”) and a wave-resolving (non-hydrostatic, “XB-NH”) model of Roi-Namur Island on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of Marshall Islands. Field observations on water levels, wave heights, and wave runup were used to drive and evaluate both models, which were subsequentlyAuthorsEllen Quataert, Curt D. Storlazzi, Ap van Dongeren, Robert T. McCallIn situ observations of wave transformation and infragravity bore development across reef flats of varying geomorphology
The character and energetics of infragravity (IG, 25 s < period < 250 s) and very-low frequency (VLF, period > 250 s) waves over coral reef flats can enhance shoreline erosion or accretion, and also govern extreme shoreline events such as runup, overwash, and flooding on coral reef-lined coasts. Here we use in situ wave measurements collected along cross-reef transects at 7 sites on Pacific islandAuthorsOlivia Cheriton, Curt D. Storlazzi, Kurt J. RosenbergerHydro-morphological characterization of coral reefs for wave runup prediction
Many coral reef-lined coasts are low-lying with elevations <4 m above mean sea level. Climate-change-driven sea-level rise, coral reef degradation, and changes in storm wave climate will lead to greater occurrence and impacts of wave-driven flooding. This poses a significant threat to their coastal communities. While greatly at risk, the complex hydrodynamics and bathymetry of reef-lined coasts maAuthorsFred Scott, Jose A. A. Antolinez, Robert T. McCall, Curt D. Storlazzi, Ad Reiners, Stuart PearsonPhysicochemical controls on zones of higher coral stress where Black Band Disease occurs at Mākua Reef, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi
Pervasive and sustained coral diseases contribute to the systemic degradation of reef ecosystems, however, to date an understanding of the physicochemical controls on a coral disease event is still largely lacking. Water circulation and residence times and submarine groundwater discharge all determine the degree to which reef organisms are exposed to the variable chemistry of overlying waters; undAuthorsFerdinand Oberle, Curt D. Storlazzi, Olivia Cheriton, Renee K. Takesue, Daniel J. Hoover, Joshua B. Logan, Christina M. Runyon, Christina A. Kellogg, Cordell Johnson, Peter W. SwarzenskiThe major coral reefs of Maui Nui, Hawai‘i—distribution, physical characteristics, oceanographic controls, and environmental threats
Coral reefs are widely recognized as critical to Hawaiʻi’s economy, food resources, and protection from damaging storm waves. Yet overfishing, land-based pollution, and climate change are threatening the health and sustainability of those reefs, and accordingly, both the Federal and State governments have called for protection and effective management. In 2000, the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force stateAuthorsMichael E. Field, Curt D. Storlazzi, Ann E. Gibbs, Nicole L. D'Antonio, Susan A. CochranThe risk reduction benefits of the Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico
Coastal development and climate change are dramatically increasing the risks of flooding, erosion, and extreme weather events. Coral reefs and other coastal ecosystems act as natural defenses against coastal hazards, but their degradation increases risk to people and property. Environmental degradation, however, has rarely been quantified as a driver of coastal risk. In Quintana Roo, Mexico, a reg
AuthorsBorja G. Reguero, Fernando Secaira, Alexandra Toimil, Mireille Escudero, Pedro Diaz-Simal, Michael W. Beck, Rodolfo Silva, Curt D. Storlazzi, Iñigo LosadaAssessing morphologic controls on atoll island alongshore sediment transport gradients due to future sea-level rise
Atoll islands’ alongshore sediment transport gradients depend on how island and reef morphology affect incident wave energy. It is unclear, though, how potential atoll morphologic configurations influence shoreline erosion and/or accretion patterns, and how these relationships will respond to future sea-level rise (SLR). Schematic atoll models with varying morphologies were used to evaluate the reAuthorsJames B. Shope, Curt D. StorlazziSpatial and temporal variability in ripple formation and migration across a coral reef flat and lagoon
The transport of carbonate sediment across reefs to the shoreline is of great interest to the research community and coastal managers alike. This sediment is generated by the breakdown of reef skeletal structure and a critical source for beach nourishment that provides a buffer to coastal flooding as sea levels rise. Understanding the physical processes that are responsible for this flux of sedimeAuthorsKurt J. Rosenberger, Curt D. Storlazzi, Andrew Pomeroy, Olivia Cheriton, Ryan J. Lowe, Jeff HansenRigorously valuing the role of U.S. coral reefs in coastal hazard risk reduction
The degradation of coastal habitats, particularly coral reefs, raises risks by increasing the exposure of coastal communities to flooding hazards. The protective services of these natural defenses are not assessed in the same rigorous economic terms as artificial defenses, such as seawalls, and therefore often are not considered in decision making. Here we combine engineering, ecologic, geospatialAuthorsCurt D. Storlazzi, Borja G. Reguero, Aaron Cole, Erik Lowe, James B. Shope, Ann E. Gibbs, Barry A. Nickel, Robert T. McCall, Ap R. van Dongeren, Michael W. Beck - Web Tools
- News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 17 - Partners
USGS Investigations of coral reefs are cooperative efforts, and our scientists are working in partnership and cooperation with the following organizations.
Filter Total Items: 22