COCONUT ISLAND, Hawaii (AP) — NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and reef scientists from around the world are announcing the launch of a campaign to gather new data on coral reefs like never before.
Using specially designed instruments mounted on high-flying aircraft, the scientists are embarking on a mission to map large swaths of coral around the world in hopes of better understanding how environmental changes are impacting these delicate and important ecosystems.
Scientists from the project, known as CORAL (Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory), are holding a news conference at the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology on Oahu's Coconut Island Thursday.
The researchers hope to discover how environmental forces including ocean warming, acidification and pollution impact coral reefs by creating detailed images of entire reef ecosystems.
