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Feb
11, 2002
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an
online newsletter for and by NOAA employees
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First-Ever Coral Reef Mapping Launched with Exclusive Technique Development of the first-ever, high-detail maps of coral reef ecosystems is now underway in the U.S. Pacific. Working with other federal agencies and state, local and university partners, NOAA aims to complete final maps within 2 to 4 years. Among multiple uses, the completed maps are expected to be key to learning about the condition and extent of coral reefs. This information will provide a valuable roadmap for safeguarding corals reefs in the years ahead. It will also be vital in studying coral reefs within the context of prior knowledge. Taking the lead in this effort are Mark Monaco, Rick Stumpf, and Kris Holderied, all of the National Ocean Service's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, and Steve Rohmann, of the National Ocean Service's Special Projects Office. Reef areas in shallow waters (between zero and 100 feet) are being mapped in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. High resolution digital imagery gathered from either an aircraft or satellite will shape the basis for the maps. Maps will be generated in one of two ways: seabed habitats visible in the imagery will be profiled by human observers, called visual interpreters; or by computerized image analysis software. The image analysis technique is being used exclusively in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, where as much as 50 percent of U.S. coral reefs can be found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands but cannot routinely be visited by visual interpreters. The National Ocean Service's Coastal Services Center is involved in acquiring and processing the imagery. After first acquiring and processing imagery, NOAA and its partners will draft maps that will then undergo an extensive accuracy and validation process. Finalized digital maps will be available on the Internet, including NOAA's Internet-based CoRIS, or Coral Information System. Maps will also be key in updating and improving the inventory of global coral reef maps available from the United Nations' Environment Program-World Conservation Monitoring Center in England. In addition to providing the basis for the first quantifiable, accurate determination of the coral reef ecosystem, the digital maps will be easily incorporated into a computerized Geographic Information System (GIS) for analysis along with other map information. They can be used to support the designation and conservation of Marine Protected Areas and essential habitats. They will have an important role in shaping public awareness and education. For the first time, scientists and many others will begin to have a clear look at the amazing living structures, built over perhaps millions of years, that are often called the rain forests of the sea.
Midway Atoll is what remains of a large shield volcano that, 28 million years ago, may have been as large as the island of Lanai. What remains now is a shallow water atoll about 10 kilometers across. As the Pacific Ocean washed away the top of the volcano, coral reefs grew. These coral reefs are now over 1, 315 feet thick. Islands and several migrating sandbars rise above the ocean surface, providing a home for hundreds of thousands of birds and about 150 people. Midway was discovered in 1859 by N.C. Brooks, captain of the sealing ship Gambia. By claiming Midway for the United States under the Guano Act of 1856, Midway became the only island in the entire Hawaiian archipelago that was not part of the State of Hawaii. Midway is the most frequently visited locale in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It lies nearly halfway between North America and Asia. It also lies almost halfway around the earth from Greenwich, England. The islands of Midway Atoll have been extensively altered as a result of human habitation. Starting in 1869 with a project to blast the reefs and create a port on Sand Island, the ecology of Midway has been changing. Birds native to other NWHI islands, such as the Laysan Rail and Laysan Finch, were released at Midway. Ironwood trees from Australia were planted to act as windbreaks. Seventy-five percent of the 200 species of plants on Midway are introduced. The location of Midway in the Pacific became important first to commercial airlines and, later, to the military. Midway was a convenient refueling stop on transpacific flights. It also became an important stop for Navy ships. Around 1940, the channel was widened and construction of a Naval Air Station was completed. Midway's importance to the U.S. was brought into focus on 7 December 1941. Six months later, on 3 June 1942, a naval battle near Midway resulted in the U.S. Navy exacting a devastating defeat of the Japanese Navy. This battle was, by some accounts, the beginning of the end of the Japanese Navy's control of the Pacific Ocean. After many years of occupation, the Navy officially turned the island over to the Fish and Wildlife Service on 20 May 1996. Now, the island is home to hundreds of thousands of birds and other animals. The Fish and Wildlife Service now manages the atoll as Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. http://biogeo.nos.noaa.gov
By Steven Rohmann, Special Projects Office, National Ocean Service. |
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Photo
by Kris Holeried 
