Project AWARE

CoralWatch

Make Your Dives Count. Monitor Coral Reefs

A strong consensus is reached in the scientific community – climate change is happening. And it’s linked to human activity. In the last century earth’s surface temperatures have risen by an estimated 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius). And 2005 was the hottest year on record.

NOAA's Coral Reef Watch

Project AWARE Foundation’s partnership with NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch (CRW) satellite program is another positive step toward answering global coral bleaching questions critical to conservation.

Project AWARE’s CoralWatch Dive Operators can now take advantage of CRW satellite tools to boost local conservation efforts.

Particularly concerning to Project AWARE Foundation, marine resource managers, scientists, dedicated dive professionals and divers is the effect climate change has on coral reefs – a process called coral bleaching.

New research indicates more than half the world’s coral reefs
could die in less than 25 years – with human activities and
climate change taking blame. Up to 30 percent of the world’s
reefs have already died; another 30 percent are severely damaged
according to researchers.

What is CoralWatch?

Project AWARE partners with CoralWatch, a nonprofit research organization from the University of Queensland, Australia, to involve divers and snorkelers in monitoring coral bleaching and assessment of coral health.

CoralWatch makes monitoring coral reefs easy. The CoralWatch chart uses a series of colors representing different stages of bleaching and recovery. Just match the color of the coral with a corresponding color on the chart and record the color code along with coral type on the data sheet. Data collected from monitoring activities is then entered online and analyzed by scientists to answer questions on coral bleaching and recovery patterns as well as the severity and duration of bleaching events.

Get Involved

Dive Professionals and Resource Managers:

Receive Project AWARE’s CoralWatch Kit developed specifically for divers including: CoralWatch charts, monitoring guidelines and information, educational
materials for divers and a CD Rom containing helpful
resources to establish monitoring activities.


Coral Watch Chart, photo by Justin Marshall

Select your reef site, assemble your dive team and
regularly monitor local reefs.

Enter CoralWatch Data Online. Your data will be
analyzed and made available online to compare the
condition of local reefs over time and with different regions of the world.

Divers, Snorkelers and Ecotourists:

Search for a registered Project AWARE CoralWatch Dive Operator near you. Contact the operator to volunteer for monitoring activities at that location.
If you’re unable to find a registered operator for your area at this time, please request a CoralWatch chart from Project AWARE at information@projectaware.org.

Why Monitor Coral Reefs?

Courtesy of
Budd Riker

Very little is known about the trends of coral bleaching on a global scale. There are many questions that need to be answered regarding patterns of bleaching and recovery as well as the severity and duration of bleaching events. CoralWatch volunteers will contribute data to help answer many of these questions.

Dive and snorkel volunteers make it possible to measure small natural fluctuations in the coloration of healthy corals to immediately identify changes outside of the normal range. With your support it’s also possible to monitor coral health throughout the year, not just during bleaching events, and help determine factors that influence coral health.

*What is climate change?

Earth is surrounded by a blanket of gases that keep the surface warm and helps make life possible. This blanket is currently getting thicker largely due to greenhouse gas release caused by burning fossil fuels and deforestation. As the blanket gets thicker more heat is retained underneath, which alters the climate. Because the ocean comprises nearly 70 percent of the earth’s surface, it is not only crucial to influencing the global climate, but also harbors some of the most diverse and important ecosystems. In addition, research currently indicates that climate change will increasingly challenge coastal and marine ecosystems in the next century. If current trends continue temperatures may increase 2.5 – 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit (1.4 – 5.8 degrees Celsius) by 2100.

What can you do?

Some changes are inevitable – even if gas emission stops today, the gases already released will have an effect in the future. This means that it is essential to do everything to avoid further changes. The good news is that because everyday activities also contribute to climate change there are many ways to tackle the issue on an individual level and as a diver. Here are 10 easy things you can do:

Switch off your lights and electric appliances when not needed
Choose energy saving appliances
Use a line to air dry clothing instead of a dryer
Use lids when cooking (water heats quicker with the lid on)
Use energy saving light bulbs and recycle
Walk or cycle when traveling short distances
Use rechargeable batteries
Share your concern with your local politicians
Become educated and inform friends and family on climate change issues
Contribute to awareness's and help with data collection by participating in coral monitoring activities

For more information on the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems, you can go to the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre's Biodiversity and Climate Change Programme website or the online Climate Change Communication Initiative.

**Coral Bleaching

Increases in ocean temperatures contribute to coral bleaching episodes – a process whereby corals lose symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae), living inside their tissue supplying coral with energy. This loss leaves coral transparent and reveals the white coral skeleton underneath. This potentially fatal process yields the “bleached” appearance.

Couresy of CoralWatch, example of bleached coral

Couresy of CoralWatch, example
of bleached coral

Couresy of CoralWatch, example
of healthy coral

Although corals can slowly recover from brief bleaching episodes, coral death is common when high temperatures are sustained for long periods. And once bleached, coral is even more susceptible to additional pressures including pollution, overfishing and disease that often lead to coral mortality. Although the effects of bleaching range from moderate to severe, experts agree that bleaching episodes have become much more severe in the past few decades. And they are likely to reoccur in the future with increased frequency.