Mapping Coral Reefs Completed
No single mapping approach is effective for evaluating the overall health of a reef or to determine the cause of its demise. It is only through combining techniques that scientists can establish the most complete view of a reef, one that can be used for evaluating current reef health and providing a baseline to detect future change.
This study is part of the USGS Coral Reef Project.
The Problem
One of the strategic goals of the USGS Pacific Coral Reefs Project is to assist land-use managers in their protection efforts by establishing the geologic framework for ecosystem structure and function. Mapping of coral reefs provides important information about a number of reef characteristics, such as overall structure and morphology, abundance and distribution of living coral, and distribution and types of sediment.
To document evidence of change in any ecosystem, one must first have a starting point—a "baseline" inventory of resources. Thematic maps providing this baseline inventory are an important tool for assessing changes in coral reef ecosystems, allowing scientists to spatially document changes in coral location, percentage of cover, and relative overall health of the system. In the past two decades, scientists and managers have recognized the lack of thematic maps for coral reefs worldwide.
No single mapping approach is effective for evaluating the overall health of a reef or to determine the cause of its demise. It is only through combining techniques that scientists can establish the most complete view of a reef, one that can be used for evaluating current reef health and providing a baseline to detect future change.
The Approach
We first aim to identify innovative mapping methodologies to find the most efficient methods of mapping and remote sensing that can be used to address coral reef issues of distribution, morphology, benthic cover, and history of existing U.S. coral reef systems in the Pacific Basin. We then conduct scientific mapping of critical coral reef environments, including pristine reefs, sediment- or pollutant-impacted reefs, or those of special significance and concern such as reefs in State or National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, or National Marine Sanctuaries. Our goals are to determine the spatial variability of the following parameters at high resolution:
1. Reef tract structure, including overall morphology, rugosity, and complexity
2. Benthic habitat, including bottom type (for example, limestone or volcanic pavement, sand, mud), bottom cover (for example, coral, algae, macroalgae), and biodiversity
3. Transitions between colonized coral reef habitat and adjacent depauperate environments
The approach to these efforts relies on a combination of field measurements and laboratory studies in order to characterize coral reef habitats. We use a wide range of tools, including in-water observations made by scuba divers, high-resolution bathymetry from airborne LIDAR (LIght Detecting And Ranging, e.g., laser range-finding), airborne and space-based multispectral remote sensing imagery, underwater towed digital photo/video mapping systems, and swath acoustic seabed mapping systems.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Benthic habitats and offshore geological resources of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawai‘i
Geologic resource evaluation of Pu‘uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, Hawai‘i. Part II: Benthic habitat mapping
Geologic resource evaluation of Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Hawai‘i, part II: Benthic habitat mapping
Optimizing remote sensing and GIS tools for mapping and managing the distribution of an invasive mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) on South Molokai, Hawaii
Shelf stratigraphy and the influence of antecedent substrate on Holocene reef development, south Oahu, Hawaii
Summary and preliminary interpretations of USGS cruise A-2-02-HW: Underwater video surveys collected off of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui, Hawaii, June-July 2002
Coastal change rates and patterns: Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawai'i
Biological survey in support of the USGS turbidity and sediment baseline survey on South Moloka’i reef flat, April 2005
Possible modes of coral-reef development at Molokai, Hawaii, inferred from seismic-reflection profiling
Quantitative morphology of a fringing reef tract from high-resolution laser bathymetry: Southern Molokai, Hawaii
Moloka'i fieldtrip guidebook: Selected aspects of the geology, geography, and coral reefs of Moloka'i
- Overview
No single mapping approach is effective for evaluating the overall health of a reef or to determine the cause of its demise. It is only through combining techniques that scientists can establish the most complete view of a reef, one that can be used for evaluating current reef health and providing a baseline to detect future change.
This study is part of the USGS Coral Reef Project.
The Problem
One of the strategic goals of the USGS Pacific Coral Reefs Project is to assist land-use managers in their protection efforts by establishing the geologic framework for ecosystem structure and function. Mapping of coral reefs provides important information about a number of reef characteristics, such as overall structure and morphology, abundance and distribution of living coral, and distribution and types of sediment.
To document evidence of change in any ecosystem, one must first have a starting point—a "baseline" inventory of resources. Thematic maps providing this baseline inventory are an important tool for assessing changes in coral reef ecosystems, allowing scientists to spatially document changes in coral location, percentage of cover, and relative overall health of the system. In the past two decades, scientists and managers have recognized the lack of thematic maps for coral reefs worldwide.
No single mapping approach is effective for evaluating the overall health of a reef or to determine the cause of its demise. It is only through combining techniques that scientists can establish the most complete view of a reef, one that can be used for evaluating current reef health and providing a baseline to detect future change.
The Approach
We first aim to identify innovative mapping methodologies to find the most efficient methods of mapping and remote sensing that can be used to address coral reef issues of distribution, morphology, benthic cover, and history of existing U.S. coral reef systems in the Pacific Basin. We then conduct scientific mapping of critical coral reef environments, including pristine reefs, sediment- or pollutant-impacted reefs, or those of special significance and concern such as reefs in State or National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, or National Marine Sanctuaries. Our goals are to determine the spatial variability of the following parameters at high resolution:
1. Reef tract structure, including overall morphology, rugosity, and complexity
2. Benthic habitat, including bottom type (for example, limestone or volcanic pavement, sand, mud), bottom cover (for example, coral, algae, macroalgae), and biodiversity
3. Transitions between colonized coral reef habitat and adjacent depauperate environments
The approach to these efforts relies on a combination of field measurements and laboratory studies in order to characterize coral reef habitats. We use a wide range of tools, including in-water observations made by scuba divers, high-resolution bathymetry from airborne LIDAR (LIght Detecting And Ranging, e.g., laser range-finding), airborne and space-based multispectral remote sensing imagery, underwater towed digital photo/video mapping systems, and swath acoustic seabed mapping systems.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 25Benthic habitats and offshore geological resources of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawai‘i
Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park (KAHO) is one of three National Park lands located along the western coast of the Island of Hawai‘i and the only one to include submerged lands and marine resources within its official boundaries. The park was established in 1978 and is 1,160 acres in size, including 596 acres of marine area. The submerged lands are currently managed by the State of HawaiiAuthorsAnn E. Gibbs, Susan A. Cochran, Joshua B. Logan, Eric E. GrossmanGeologic resource evaluation of Pu‘uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, Hawai‘i. Part II: Benthic habitat mapping
In cooperation with the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has mapped the underwater environment in and adjacent to three parks along the Kona coast on the island of Hawai‘i. This report is the second of two produced for the NPS on the geologic resource evaluation of of Pu‘uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park (PUHO) and presents the results of benthic habitatAuthorsSusan A. Cochran, Ann E. Gibbs, Joshua B. LoganGeologic resource evaluation of Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, Hawai‘i, part II: Benthic habitat mapping
In cooperation with the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has mapped the underwater environment in and adjacent to three parks along the Kona coast on the island of Hawai‘i. This report is the second of two produced for the NPS on the geologic resource evaluation of Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site (PUHE) and presents benthic habitat mapping of the waters oAuthorsSusan A. Cochran, Ann E. Gibbs, Joshua B. LoganOptimizing remote sensing and GIS tools for mapping and managing the distribution of an invasive mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) on South Molokai, Hawaii
In 1902, the Florida red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle L., was introduced to the island of Molokai, Hawaii, and has since colonized nearly 25% of the south coast shoreline. By classifying three kinds of remote sensing imagery, we compared abilities to detect invasive mangrove distributions and to discriminate mangroves from surrounding terrestrial vegetation. Using three analytical techniques, we coAuthorsM. D'Iorio, S.D. Jupiter, S.A. Cochran, D.C. PottsShelf stratigraphy and the influence of antecedent substrate on Holocene reef development, south Oahu, Hawaii
Paired analyses of drill cores and high-resolution seismic reflection data show that development of Holocene framework reefs on the Oahu (Hawaii) shelf is limited to settings of low wave energy and to the period 8000 to 3000 yr BP. A prominent bounding surface that is mapped across much of the Oahu shelf is an erosion surface cut into Marine Isotope Stages 5 and 7 limestones that show extensive loAuthorsE. E. Grossman, W. A. Barnhardt, P. Hart, B. M. Richmond, M.E. FieldSummary and preliminary interpretations of USGS cruise A-2-02-HW: Underwater video surveys collected off of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui, Hawaii, June-July 2002
The insular shelves of the southern coasts of the islands of Oahu and Molokai, and the western coast of Maui in the Hawaiian Archipelago were surveyed using ship-towed video between June 26 and July 11, 2002, as part of USGS-CMG cruise A-2-02-HW (Figure 1.1). The goals of the survey were to collect underwater video of the sea floor to: (1) Characterize substrate type and benthic habitat distributiAuthorsAnn Gibbs, Eric E. Grossman, Bruce RichmondCoastal change rates and patterns: Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawai'i
A collaborative project between the U.S. Geological Survey's Coastal and Marine Geology Program and the National Park Service (NPS) has been developed to create an inventory of geologic resources for National Park Service lands on the Big Island of Hawai'i. The NPS Geologic Resources Inventories are recognized as essential for the effective management, interpretation, and understanding of vital paAuthorsCheryl J. Hapke, Rick Gmirkin, Bruce M. RichmondBiological survey in support of the USGS turbidity and sediment baseline survey on South Moloka’i reef flat, April 2005
No abstract available.AuthorsK. S. Rodgers, P. L. Jokiel, W. R. Smith, F. Farrell, K. UchinoPossible modes of coral-reef development at Molokai, Hawaii, inferred from seismic-reflection profiling
High-resolution, seismic-reflection data elucidate the late Quaternary development of the largest coral-reef complex in the main Hawaiian Islands. Six acoustic facies were identified from reflection characteristics and lithosome geometry. An extensive, buried platform with uniformly low relief was traced beneath fore-reef and marginal shelf environments. This highly reflective surface dips gentlyAuthorsW. A. Barnhardt, B. M. Richmond, E. E. Grossman, P. HartQuantitative morphology of a fringing reef tract from high-resolution laser bathymetry: Southern Molokai, Hawaii
High-resolution Scanning Hydrographic Operational Airborne Lidar Survey (SHOALS) laser-determined bathymetric data were used to define the morphology of spur-and-groove structures on the fringing reef off the south coast of Molokai, Hawaii. These data provide a basis for mapping and analyzing morphology of the reef with a level of precision and spatial coverage never before attained. An extensiveAuthorsC. D. Storlazzi, J.B. Logan, M.E. FieldMoloka'i fieldtrip guidebook: Selected aspects of the geology, geography, and coral reefs of Moloka'i
This guidebook was compiled with the express purpose of describing the general geology of Moloka'i and those locations with significance to the U.S. Geological Survey's study of Moloka'i's coral reef, a part of the U.S. Department of Interior's 'Protecting the Nation's Reefs' program. The first portion of the guidebook describes the island and gives the historical background. Fieldtrip stop locAuthorsSusan A. Cochran, Lucile M. Roberts, Kevin R. Evans