Part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, one of many that will be studied during the CORAL field campaign. Credit: NASA
The airborne PRISM instrument records light spectra reflected upward from the ocean. Data are used to identify reef compositions.
Meteorologist John Jelsema discusses an upcoming weather forecast with CORAL project scientist Michelle Gierach. Credit: James Round (NASA)
CORAL team members examine PRISM, an airborne instrument that measures the spectra of light reflected from surfaces below a plane. Credit: NASA
Lab testing of the Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer (PRISM), an airborne instrument designed to observe hard-to-see coastal water phenomena. Credit: NASA JPL-Caltech
One of the Kaneohe Bay reefs studied by CORAL to assess the condition of vulnerable ecosystems. Credit: James Round (NASA)
A package of instruments is deployed during the CORAL field campaign. This cage contains instruments that measure how light is absorbed and scattered in water. Credit: Daniel Schar (HIMB)
Principal Investigator Eric Hochberg directs sampling efforts during the CORAL field campaign.
CORAL scientists identify reefs in Kaneohe Bay (Oahu, Hawaii). Credit: James Round (NASA)
CORAL Project Scientist Michelle Gierach at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on Oahu. Credit: James Round (NASA)
Coconut Island - CORAL's base of operations in Hawaii. Credit: James Round (NASA)
CORAL's field campaign will use advanced airborne instruments and in-water collection methods to survey the reefs of Palau, the Mariana Islands, portions of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and Hawaii. Credit: David Burdock (NOAA)
The three-year COral Reef Airborne Laboratory (CORAL) mission will survey a portion of the world's coral reefs to assess the condition of these threatened ecosystems. Credit: NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC/CRED Oceanography Team