The world’s coral reefs are in serious jeopardy, as a result of a wide and increasing array of threats. In response to this growing environmental crisis the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (CRTF) was established, and released the National Action Plan for Coral Reef Conservation, the first comprehensive U.S. strategy to conserve coral reefs. The first of 13 goals outlined in the plan call for mapping of U.S. coral reefs.

An example of a seafloor map made from multibeam echosounder data. The data illustrated here were collected by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center at Kure Atoll in July 2006, and are overlain on satellite imagery of the atoll. The multibeam data are color-coded by depth (reds are shallow, blue colored areas are deeper) and clearly illustrate the spur-and-groove morphology often found in coral reef ecosystems. [Image courtesy of NOAA, Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center].

The deep stony coral reef off the island of Maui, which may be the deepest known reef in the US. [Image courtesy of Tony Montgomery, HI Division of Aquatic Resources].

Photographs, Haleakala National Park, Maui…just because