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 Home > Take Action > Coral Reef Monitoring

CoralWatch

Make Your Dives Count! Monitor Coral Reefs.

CoralWatch Divers

Act Now and Get Involved in CoralWatch.  Data you collect and submit online can help protect coral reefs against drastic decline.

Learn more about Project AWARE Foundation’s partnership with NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch satellite program and how you can take advantage of satellite tools to boost local conservation efforts.

 CoralWatch key_sst_50kmcurrent_s

 

CW Materials

Climate change is happening and it’s linked to human activity. Of particular concern to Project AWARE Foundation, marine resource managers and dedicated divers is a process called coral bleaching, one of the most important effects of climate change on coral reefs.

More than half the world’s reefs could die in less than 25 years with human activities and climate change taking blame. Research indicates that 20 percent of the world’s reefs have already died and another 50 percent are under imminent or long term risk of collapse.

Scuba Divers, Snorkelers and Activists: 

  1. Find a registered Project AWARE CoralWatch Dive Operator and volunteer for monitoring activities near you or your next travel destination.
  2. If you’re unable to find a registered operator in your area of interest at this time, please request a free CoralWatch chart via email from your local Project AWARE Foundation office.

Scuba Professionals, Resource Managers and Conservation Leaders:

  1. Register with Project AWARE to regularly monitor local coral reefs.
  2. Receive Project AWARE’s CoralWatch Operator Kit developed specifically for you. The Operator Kit includes: CoralWatch charts, monitoring guidelines and information, educational materials for divers and a CD-Rom. The CD contains helpful resources to conduct regular monitoring activities with your volunteer divers.
  3. Select your reef site(s), assemble your dive team and regularly monitor reefs in your area or at your travel destination.
  4. Report Your CoralWatch Data Online. See results in an instant and track the condition of your reef locations over time.

Why Does Coral Reef Monitoring Matter? Click here for more information on climate change, coral bleaching and how you can help. 

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.

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 the corresponding color on the chart and record the color code along with the type of coral 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.