Studying corals from above could help scientists understand how these critical ecosystems will weather a changing climate.
Published Jan 31, 2016
Scattered like turquoise and emeralds across the dark blue waters of the Coral and Solomon Seas, the coral reefs and forested islands of the Louisiade Archipelago stretch southeastward from the tip of Papua New Guinea for over 350 kilometers.
Published Jan 2, 2009
This astronaut photograph shows Tetiaroa Island, part of the Society Islands archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. Tetiaroa is an atoll comprised of thirteen small islets.
Published Feb 16, 2009
Pronounced “Ki-ris-mas,” Kiritimati Island has a large in-filled lagoon that gives it the largest land area (125 square miles, 321 square kilometers) of any atoll in the world. Captain Cook named the atoll Christmas Island when he arrived on Christmas Eve in 1777. Used for nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s, the island is now valued for its marine and wildlife resources. It is particularly important as a seabird nesting site—with an estimated 6 million birds using or breeding on the island, including several million Sooty Terns. Rainfall on Kiritimati is linked to El Ni&ntidle;o patterns, with long droughts experienced between the wetter El Ni&ntidle;o years.
Published Mar 24, 2002
This astronaut photo of Millennium Island shows emerald islets surrounding a turquoise lagoon dotted with coral.
Published Jul 13, 2009
