Higher than a Sea-Bird's Eye View: Coral Reef Remote Sensing Using Satellites Presented by Mark Eakin Coordinator, NOAA Coral Reef Watch LIVE INTERACTIVE YOUR DESKTOP Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Higher than a Sea-Bird's Eye View: Coral Reef Remote Sensing Using Satellites Presented by Mark Eakin Coordinator, NOAA Coral Reef Watch

1.Climate change and coral reefs 2.Introduction to coral bleaching 3.Remote sensing basics 4.NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk 5.After corals bleach 6.What does the future hold? 7.Classroom resources Outline

1.Climate change and coral reefs 2.Introduction to coral bleaching 3.Remote sensing basics 4.NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk 5.After corals bleach 6.What does the future hold? 7.Classroom resources Outline

Climate Change 2009 report from the US Global Change Research Program Climate Change impacts, focused on the United States

Climate Change

Climate Change and Coral Reefs “Higher water temperatures and ocean acidification due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide will present major additional stresses to coral reefs, resulting in significant die- offs and limited recovery.”

1.Climate change and coral reefs 2.Introduction to coral bleaching 3.Remote sensing basics 4.NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk 5.After corals bleach 6.What does the future hold? 7.Classroom resources Outline

What is a coral reef? Animal Vegetable Mineral

What is a coral reef? All of the above!

Slide after of Joan Kleypas, NCAR Animal / Vegetable/ Mineral

Coral bleaching is caused by stress What is coral bleaching? Healthy coral Bleached coral

- Corals expel their zooxanthellae - The coral tissue is clear, so you see the white limestone skeleton underneath Healthy coral with algae Bleached coral without algae What is coral bleaching?

A. Nutrient enrichment (eutrophication). B. Fish bites. C. Lack of vitamin D. D. High water temperature. E. Too much homework. What will stress a coral and cause bleaching?

-High light or UV levels -Cold temperatures -Low salinity from coastal runoff or heavy rain -Exposure to air during very low tides Most important: high water temperature Photos: AIMS and GBRMPA What will stress a coral and cause bleaching?

Coming up next… - If water gets 1 or 2°C higher than the summer average, corals get stressed and bleach - NOAA satellites measure global ocean temperature and thermal stress

Questions?

1.Climate change and coral reefs 2.Introduction to coral bleaching 3.Remote sensing basics 4.NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk 5.After corals bleach 6.What does the future hold? 7.Classroom resources Outline

Measuring some property of an object without touching it. What is remote sensing?

Which of these trees is healthy?

Why do we think this tree is healthy? Our eyes sense the green color in the photo We interpret “green” as “healthy”

Polar-orbiting satellites have a constant orbit while the earth rotates under them. NOAA Satellites NOAA’s POES satellites sense the Earth’s whole surface every day. Ocean temperature is one thing they measure.

How do we measure the temperature of the ocean from 850km above the surface? If you stand next to a fire, you can feel the heat on your skin. This is infrared radiation. Satellites carry a sensor to detect this radiation.

Questions?

1.Climate change and coral reefs 2.Introduction to coral bleaching 3.Remote sensing basics 4.NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk 5.After corals bleach 6.What does the future hold? 7.Classroom resources Outline

Remember… - If water gets 1 or 2°C higher than the summer average, corals get stressed and bleach

How warm is too warm? How hot do you think the ocean has to get before corals start to bleach?

How warm is too warm? Bleaching threshold temperatures vary from ~27 – 33°C (81 – 91°F). Corals from naturally warmer areas are adapted to high temperatures, and have a higher bleaching threshold.

Coral Bleaching HotSpots Satellite data show where temperature is above the bleaching threshold right now. Yellow/orange shows stressfully hot areas.

Corals bleach when conditions get hot and stay hot DHW are accumulated HotSpots ≥ 1 for the preceding 12 weeks Degree Heating Weeks (DHW)

DHW = 0 No Thermal Stress DHW ≥ 4Thermal Stress leading to significant bleaching DHW ≥ 8Thermal Stress leading to wide spread bleaching and significant mortality Degree Heating Weeks

Bottom Line for Managers Is my reef currently at risk for bleaching? -Satellite data warn managers of bleaching -Plan research, response, and monitoring

Questions?

1.Climate change and coral reefs 2.Introduction to coral bleaching 3.Remote sensing basics 4.NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk 5.After corals bleach 6.What does the future hold? 7.Classroom resources Outline

Can corals recover? -Yes, if the stress doesn’t last too long -Some corals can eat more zooplankton to help survive the lack of zooxanthellae -Some species are more resistant to bleaching, and more able to recover Photos: AIMS and GBRMPA

Can corals recover? -Corals may eventually regain color by repopulating their zooxanthellae -Algae may come from the water column -Or they may come from reproduction of the few cells that remain in the coral Jeff Miller, National Park Service

Can corals recover? -Corals can begin to recover after a few weeks Jeff Miller, National Park Service

Does bleaching kill corals? -Yes, if the stress is severe -Some of the polyps in a colony might die -If the bleaching is really severe, whole colonies might die -Bleaching in Puerto Rico killed an 800-year-old star coral colony in 2005

Over 90% bleached Over 60% died Newfound Reef Yawzi Point Mennebeck Bay South Florida/Caribbean Network I&M Program J. Miller et al Coral disease following massive bleaching in 2005 causes 60% decline in coral cover on reefs in the US Virgin Islands Coral Reefs, DOI /s ) 2005 Bleaching in the Virgin Islands National Park

What else can thermal stress do to corals? Question: what is something that happens to people when they are highly stressed? Photo: Caroline Rogers, USGS Gain weightGet sickTurn orange

What else can thermal stress do to corals? Photo: Caroline Rogers, USGS Question: what is something that happens to people when they are highly stressed? Get sick

Bleaching and coral disease - Bleaching leaves corals more vulnerable to disease -Can quickly kill part or all of the coral colony Marilyn E. Brandt, University of Miami

Questions?

1.Climate change and coral reefs 2.Introduction to coral bleaching 3.Remote sensing basics 4.NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk 5.After corals bleach 6.What does the future hold? 7.Classroom resources Outline

A Worldwide Crisis Bleaching has already happened around the world. (map shows all bleaching reports since 1963) Adds to other stress (fishing, pollution, etc.) 19% of reefs have been lost 15% more are under imminent threat

Hoegh-Guldberg, Climate change, coral bleaching, and the future of the world’s reefs. Marine and Freshwater Research 50(8), Coral bleaching threshold Future Warming

Two-part Solution: 1: lower global CO 2 emissions

For coral bleaching stress, there is a huge difference between 1.5°C and 2°C increase. Two-part Solution: 1: lower global CO 2 emissions

Above even the highest future scenario Two-part Solution: 1: lower global CO 2 emissions

–Shade reefs –Cool reefs –Improve water quality –Reduce other stress (pollution, disease) –Reduce overfishing Two-part Solution: 2: increase reef resilience

Coral Reefs Are Too Valuable to Lose -Not just a nice place to visit on vacation! -Over $375 billion in fish, seafood, tourism, and coastal protection worldwide -0.5 to 1 Billion people directly depend on healthy reefs for their food and livelihood -Highest marine biodiversity in the world

A B C Hoegh-Guldberg et al., Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318, The Future of Reefs Is Up To Us

What Can YOU Do? 1.Don’t buy jewelry/souvenirs made from coral or other reef animals. 2.Reduce fertilizer use. 3.Be a responsible tourist. 4.Learn more about coral reefs. 5.Spread the word.

Questions?

1.Climate change and coral reefs 2.Introduction to coral bleaching 3.Remote sensing basics 4.NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk 5.After corals bleach 6.What does the future hold? 7.Classroom resources Outline

Satellite Data and Animations (website demonstration) NOAA Coral Reef Watch website provides current conditions, data, Google Earth, etc. Anomaly animation shows ENSO status, etc.

Google Earth Fun, interactive tool Also teaches geography! See where conditions are right for coral bleaching right now. Live links to data on the web.

Google Earth Fun, interactive tool Also teaches tropical geography! See where conditions are right for coral bleaching right now. Live links to data on the web.

Classroom Resources Satellite data/coral bleaching –Lesson plans, data activity, tutorial – Ocean education –Tutorial and online resources for corals – Coral Reef Conservation Program –Central listing for coral education resources –

Summary - Corals are animal, vegetable, AND mineral - Climate change is warming coastal waters - Hot water bleaches corals - NOAA satellites pinpoint bleaching risk - Corals may die after bleaching - We need to act now to save coral reefs

Thank you to the sponsor of tonight's Web Seminar:

National Science Teachers Association Dr. Francis Q. Eberle, Executive Director Zipporah Miller, Associate Executive Director Conferences and Programs Al Byers, Assistant Executive Director e-Learning LIVE INTERACTIVE YOUR DESKTOP NSTA Web Seminars Paul Tingler, Director Jeff Layman, Technical Coordinator