http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/
Welcome to NOAA's Coral Reef online. It is a roundup of the various NOAA Web sites on coral reefs. Some external links are included for your convenience.
On the listed NOAA Web sites you can find specific information about coral reefs, known as the rain forests of the sea. Dive in and see nature's treasures in the ocean.
Why should we care about coral reefs? Coral reefs are important to our future.
Reefs are:
Home and nursery for almost a million fish and other species, many that we rely on for food;
Some of the Earth's most diverse living ecosystems;
Full of new and undiscovered biomedical resources that we've only just begun to explore;
Important protection for coastal communities from storms, wave damage and erosion.
NOAA Coral Reef Developments
New Reports Assess the Condition of U.S. Coral Reefs,
Outline Strategy to Reduce Threats
NOAA announces the availability of two new reports on coral reef ecosystems produced in cooperation with the United States
Coral Reef Task Force and other partners.
Led by NOAA's Ocean Service, the 265-page report, The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States, was developed by 38 coral reef experts and 79 expert contributors. Prepared under the auspices of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, the report establishes a baseline that will now be used for biennial reports on the health of U.S. coral reefs. The new report—the first-ever national look at the condition of U.S. coral reefs—points to pressures posing increasing risks to reefs, particularly in certain "hot spots" located near population centers.
NOAA has also released "A National Coral Reef Action Strategy", a report to Congress outlining specific actions needed in 13 goal areas to reduce threats to reefs and sustain the communities and economies that depend on them. Both reports will be highlighted when the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force meets October 2-3 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
NOAA Unveils Comprehensive Web Site on Coral Reefs
NOAA unveiled a new Internet site designed as a single point of access for information on coral reefs. The site, the Coral Reef Information System, or CoRIS, provides data and information derived from NOAA programs and projects. The site provides access to 19,000 aerial photos, 400 preview navigational charts, tide stations, paleoclimatological studies, photo mosaics, coral reef monitoring, bleaching reports, and other information.
