Tag: corals

A scientist captures thousands of digital images to build a 3-D reef model during the 2026 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program survey at Swains Island. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

2026 Pacific Coral Surveys Complete

9/23/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. NOAA scientists returned from American Samoa and the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument after conducting coral reef monitoring surveys. The team sailed south from Honolulu to Jarvis Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Kingman Reef, where they completed their suite of surveys. After a 2,000 kilometer transit down… SEE MORE

Coral IVF: How Scientists Are Breeding Heat-Resistant Reefs for Florida’s Future

Ocean Science

8/31/2026 - By Dawn Anderson, best4boats.com. The reefs that protect South Florida's coastlines, harbors, and marinas are in crisis — and scientists at the University of Miami are using an unlikely tool to fight back: assisted reproduction. After a record marine heatwave in 2023 wiped out up to 100 percent of elkhorn… SEE MORE

Divers propagating mesophotic coral fragments to start new colonies

Deep Diving and Innovation to Restore the Gulf’s Mesophotic Corals

7/30/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Deep in the Gulf of America lies a vital but little-known habitat. In the "mesophotic" (middle light) zone are coral ecosystems that are essential to the Gulf’s food web. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured extensive areas of this delicate environment. Today, scientists across federal agencies and… SEE MORE

Image Credits: The Australian Institute of Marine Science.

WHOI Develops Tool to Predict Coral Bleaching Months Before It Strikes

6/9/2026 - By whoi.edu, whoi.edu. A new forecasting tool from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution could give reef managers and coastal communities a five-to-six-month head start on one of the ocean's most destructive events: coral bleaching. Called the Bleaching Event Early Predictor (BEEP), the system works by tracking three large-scale climate patterns in… SEE MORE

Coral bleaching at Cheeca Rocks in the Florida Keys in 2023. [Credit: NOAA]

World’s Fourth Mass Coral Bleaching Event Likely Ended in 2025

6/7/2026 - By nesdis.noaa.gov, nesdis.noaa.gov. After analyzing satellite data and bleaching observations, NOAA’s experts say the record-breaking fourth global coral bleaching event likely concluded in mid-2025. The fourth global coral bleaching event was confirmed by NOAA on April 15, 2024. From early-2023 to mid-2025, bleaching-level heat stress impacted 84% of the world’s coral… SEE MORE

Why Are Corals So Colorful? Understanding Reef Health Indicators

1/4/2026 - By Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, whoi.com. For harbor communities and coastal areas that depend on healthy reef ecosystems, understanding coral coloration provides valuable insights into reef health. Coral reefs protect harbors from wave action, support commercial and recreational fisheries, and indicate overall marine ecosystem conditions—making the science behind coral color… SEE MORE

Porites cf. lobata is a key reef-building coral that provides habitats for numerous species, including feather stars (comatulid crinoids) and fish. (Photo by Kharis Schrage, ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Palau’s Rock Islands Harbor Heat-resistant Corals

11/15/2025 - By Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, whoi.edu. Heat-Resistant Corals Discovered in Palau's Rock Islands As marine heatwaves increasingly threaten coral reefs worldwide, new research from Palau offers promising insights for harbor and coastal communities that depend on healthy reef ecosystems for shoreline protection, fisheries, and maritime navigation safety. The discovery of… SEE MORE

NOAA Fisheries Designates Critical Habitat for Five Corals in U.S. Waters in the Pacific Islands

7/15/2025 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. Designating critical habitat for threatened Pacific Islands corals will help us protect them for generations to come. If you had to describe corals in one word, what would it be? Maybe “colorful,” “amazing,” or “vibrant” come to mind? One word that definitely suits them is “powerhouse.” Corals do… SEE MORE

Coral Reefs are Emerging from Shipwrecks and Sunken Objects

1/23/2024 - By theconversation.com Not all underwater reefs are made of coral − the US has created artificial reefs from sunken ships, radio towers, boxcars and even voting machines! When people hear about underwater reefs, they usually picture colorful gardens created from coral. But some reefs are anchored to much more unusual foundations.… SEE MORE

andre oortgijs, CC BY-SA 3.0 ,Beautiful_coral_reef_Batangas_Anilao_-_panoramio via Wikimedia Commons

Hibernating Corals and the Microbiomes that Sustain Them

1/2/2023 - By ecomagazine.com As winter approaches, many species of animals— from bears and squirrels to parasitic wasps and a few lucky humans—hunker down for some needed rest. The northern star coral (Astrangia poculata) also enters a hibernating state of dormancy, or quiescence, during this time. But what happens to its microbiome… SEE MORE