Current daily global 5km 7-Day Maximum Bleaching Alert Area image
Current Daily Variables:
Alert Area (7-day max) HotSpot DHW SST SST Anomaly SST Trend (7-day)
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Current daily global 5km 7-Day Maximum Bleaching Alert Area image
Alert Area (7-day max)
Current daily global 5km Degree Heating Week image
Degree Heating Week (DHW)
Current daily global 5km Coral Bleaching HotSpot image
HotSpot
Current daily global 5km Sea Surface Temperature image
Sea Surface Temperature (SST)
Current daily global 5km Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly image
SST Anomaly
Current daily global 5km 7-Day Sea Surface Temperature Trend image
SST Trend (7-day)
Current weekly global 60% Probability 4-Month Coral Bleaching Heat Stress Outlook image
4-Month Outlook 60%
Current weekly global 90% Probability 4-Month Coral Bleaching Heat Stress Outlook image
4-Month Outlook 90%
Coral Reef Watch
Coral Reef Photo
Announcements
September 14, 2023:
NEW RELEASE: Single-pixel satellite Virtual Stations for Puerto Rico.

September 8, 2023:
Current Pacific Climate Update (Coral Bleaching Heat Stress Analysis and Seasonal Guidance through December 2023).

July 17, 2023:
NEW RELEASE: Single-pixel satellite Virtual Stations for Florida.

February 27, 2023:
PRODUCT UPDATE: Version 3.3 Thermal History product suite, spanning 1985-2022.

November 29, 2022:
A NOAA Coral Reef Watch paper in F1000Research (originally published online Feb 1, 2022) analyzes CRW's operational satellite coral bleaching heat stress products to reveal that the Great Barrier Reef in Australia started the 2021-22 summer season with more accumulated heat stress than ever before in the satellite record.

>> Past Announcements
What We Do

Climate change has become the greatest single threat to coral reefs globally. First documented in the early 1980s, mass coral bleaching (i.e., bleaching that spans tens to thousands of kilometers) has become one of climate change's most visible marine ecological impacts. Coral bleaching has become more extensive, frequent, and intense. This can be seen in the acceleration of marine heatwaves that cause mass bleaching. It's clear that remotely monitoring coral reefs and providing actionable intelligence are critical for early detection, on-the-ground response, communication, and enhancing coral reef resilience.

In response to these, NOAA established the Coral Reef Watch (CRW) program. For more than 20 years, CRW has utilized remote sensing, modeled and in-situ data to predict, observe, and alert users globally to threats to the coral reef environment. The near real-time satellite products and modeled predictions that comprise CRW's global 5km-resolution early-warning system of coral reef environmental changes have successfully and accurately predicted and monitored all major mass coral bleaching events observed globally since 1997, and have provided other critical information to users, especially during periods of severe oceanic heat stress.

Marine resource managers, scientists, decision makers, in-water coral reef monitoring networks, and other coral reef stakeholders rely on NOAA CRW's satellite and modeled products and alerts to: predict and monitor in near real-time changes in thermal stress in the coral reef environment; prepare and prioritize resources for events (e.g., mass coral bleaching or disease) that have long-term, ecologically-significant impacts on coral and reef health and function; communicate, quickly and broadly, among agencies, the press, and the public, changes in the status of local reefs; implement timely, protective responses and adaptation actions; analyze climate change impacts (e.g., bleaching, disease, and mortality) on coral reefs; and assess when specific reefs are vulnerable or resilient to anthropogenic climate change and its impacts. Using the information the CRW team and its products provide, users not only activate their coral bleaching & disease response plans, incident action plans, and associated in-water monitoring networks, but they also reduce local stressors (e.g., by closing scuba diving and fishing areas), rescue native and rare corals, and shade/cool key nursery reefs. CRW's satellite and modeled products support conservation, restoration, and resilience-based research and management projects that aim to protect and/or restore coral reefs in a rapidly warming world. In times of low or no heat stress, users also apply CRW products to identify appropriate locations for and implement conservation and restoration initiatives, to give transplanted corals or corals grown in-situ the best chance at survival. Additionally, our work informs many national and international assessments of coral reef conditions.

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CRW is part of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. CRW's satellite product suites are a key component of NOAA's monitoring efforts for coral reef ecosystems, including the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program.

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