Global Coral Reefs Larger Than Previously Estimated, Satellite Study Reveals
A groundbreaking study using satellite imagery and machine learning has discovered an additional 64,000 square kilometers of coral reefs, revising the global total to 348,000 square kilometers.
- University of Queensland-led research, part of the Allen Coral Atlas project, has identified 348,000 square kilometers of shallow coral reefs, significantly revising previous estimates.
- The study utilized over 1.5 million samples and 100 trillion pixels from the Sentinel-2 and Planet Dove CubeSat satellites to map coral reefs with unprecedented detail.
- Of the total reef area, 80,000 square kilometers have a hard bottom conducive to coral growth, providing critical habitats for marine biodiversity.
- The Allen Coral Atlas, a collaboration with over 480 contributors, offers publicly accessible maps and data for global coral reef conservation efforts.
- The maps are being used to inform conservation projects in over a dozen countries, demonstrating the practical application of this research in preserving coral ecosystems.
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