Looking out the window of the International Space Station, astronauts often take the time to admire and photograph tropical islands and coral reefs. From an altitude of 400 kilometers and with only a digital camera as a tool, it seems impossible to make detailed measurements of the depth of underwater features. However, a new technique developed by NOAA scientists has done just that—plotted the depths of lagoon features at Pearl and Hermes Reef, northwest Hawaii, using digital astronaut photography from the International Space Station (ISS).
Ningaloo Reef, along the shore of Western Australia, is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef. It is also the world’s only large reef located so close to a landmass.
Two years of record global temperatures and a potent El Niño have led to extensive damage to coral reefs around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef.