NOAA Coral Reef Watch's (CRW) mission is to utilize remote sensing and in situ tools for near-real-time and long-term monitoring, modeling and reporting of physical environmental conditions of coral reef ecosystems. With these tools, NOAA CRW assists the global community in the management, study, and assessment of impacts to coral reef ecosystems brought about by environmental change.
This report provides an overview of CRW's operational twice-weekly 0.5 degree (approximately 50 km spatial resolution) satellite coral bleaching thermal stress monitoring product suite, representing CRW's heritage product suite and the core of CRW's current DSS for much of the last decade, along with some experimental products and a major enhancement associated with the operational product suite. CRW's products are disseminated and delivered through various mechanisms and formats to satisfy different user needs and backgrounds.
To address requests from coral reef managers and scientists for their ever growing management and research needs, CRW is developing a new-generation DSS, taking advantage of advances in satellite technologies for measuring environmental variables, the availability of multiple satellites and sensors, model-based evaluations of observations and forecasts, and advances in coral physiological and ecological research. This report provides a brief introduction to CRW's new-generation coral bleaching thermal stress monitoring products and other planned efforts that will provide advanced tools for managers to better protect coral reefs in a changing climate.
Citation: Liu, G, Rauenzahn JL, Heron SF, Eakin CM, Skirving WJ, Christensen TRL, Strong AE, Li J (2013) NOAA Coral Reef Watch 50 km Satellite Sea Surface Temperature-Based Decision Support System for Coral Bleaching Management, NOAA Technical Report NESDIS 143. NOAA/NESDIS. College Park, MD. 33pp.
