'Scientists Inspect the Great Barrier Reef, From 28,000 Feet Above' diff viewer (0/1)

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Scientists Inspect the Great Barrier Reef, From 28,000 Feet Above	Scientists Inspect the Great Barrier Reef, From 28,000 Feet Above
2016-09-26 16:10:09 UTC	2016-09-27 08:40:07 UTC (about 17 hours later)
SYDNEY, Australia — Heron Island, a coral cay at the southern tip of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef awash in piercing sunlight and translucent seas, has been a proving ground for reef science for more than 80 years.	SYDNEY, Australia — Heron Island, a coral cay at the southern tip of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef awash in piercing sunlight and translucent seas, has been a proving ground for reef science for more than 80 years.
Because of its clear blue waters and mostly cloudless skies, Heron Island is one of a handful of sites worldwide where scientists from the United States, Bermuda and Australia have converged with a tricked-out NASA Gulfstream jet to modernize the way the world looks at its fragile coral reefs, an early warning system of a changing climate.	Because of its clear blue waters and mostly cloudless skies, Heron Island is one of a handful of sites worldwide where scientists from the United States, Bermuda and Australia have converged with a tricked-out NASA Gulfstream jet to modernize the way the world looks at its fragile coral reefs, an early warning system of a changing climate.
Scientists will use a special sensor to map the conditions of large portions of the reef in fine detail, gathering data from 28,000 feet above to produce a real-time picture of how much sand, coral and algae make up big stretches of the Great Barrier Reef.	Scientists will use a special sensor to map the conditions of large portions of the reef in fine detail, gathering data from 28,000 feet above to produce a real-time picture of how much sand, coral and algae make up big stretches of the Great Barrier Reef.
They hope the flights will prove the sensor’s worth, leading to it being placed on a satellite and ultimately unraveling some of the mysteries of how reefs adapt to man-made and natural stresses, how they calcify, and how much photosynthesis takes place on reefs and where.	They hope the flights will prove the sensor’s worth, leading to it being placed on a satellite and ultimately unraveling some of the mysteries of how reefs adapt to man-made and natural stresses, how they calcify, and how much photosynthesis takes place on reefs and where.
Coral is made up of millions of tiny animals called polyps that form symbiotic relationships with algae, which capture sunlight and carbon dioxide to make sugars that feed the polyps. When waters warm, corals evict the algae, known as zooxanthellae, which causes the coral to turn white.	Coral is made up of millions of tiny animals called polyps that form symbiotic relationships with algae, which capture sunlight and carbon dioxide to make sugars that feed the polyps. When waters warm, corals evict the algae, known as zooxanthellae, which causes the coral to turn white.
In the past, reef science has mostly involved scuba divers and intensive, small-scale, plot-based studies that can reveal much about a small slice of reef but cannot necessarily be extrapolated to gauge the health of the entire Great Barrier Reef, which covers an area roughly the size of Germany.	In the past, reef science has mostly involved scuba divers and intensive, small-scale, plot-based studies that can reveal much about a small slice of reef but cannot necessarily be extrapolated to gauge the health of the entire Great Barrier Reef, which covers an area roughly the size of Germany.
“This is a real step up in the way reef science is done,” said Eric Hochberg, the project’s chief investigator, from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.	“This is a real step up in the way reef science is done,” said Eric Hochberg, the project’s chief investigator, from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.
“How much coral is there on a reef? How much is sand and algae?” Dr. Hochberg said in a telephone call from Cairns, in Australia’s far north, where the NASA flying laboratory has been based since Sept. 2. “That is something we just don’t know.”	“How much coral is there on a reef? How much is sand and algae?” Dr. Hochberg said in a telephone call from Cairns, in Australia’s far north, where the NASA flying laboratory has been based since Sept. 2. “That is something we just don’t know.”
Reefs are incubators that provide food and shelter to a quarter of the ocean’s species, protect coastal communities against the vagaries of extreme weather, and provide billions of dollars in revenue from fishing and tourism.	Reefs are incubators that provide food and shelter to a quarter of the ocean’s species, protect coastal communities against the vagaries of extreme weather, and provide billions of dollars in revenue from fishing and tourism.
But the oceans also absorb most of the world’s heat and greenhouse gases, threatening the fragile reef ecosystem. Warming ocean temperatures may increase the severity of destructive weather, like hurricanes and cyclones, and speed the death of corals that are unable to sustain life after back-to-back bleaching episodes.	But the oceans also absorb most of the world’s heat and greenhouse gases, threatening the fragile reef ecosystem. Warming ocean temperatures may increase the severity of destructive weather, like hurricanes and cyclones, and speed the death of corals that are unable to sustain life after back-to-back bleaching episodes.
In April, scientists reported large parts of the world’s corals, in areas such as the northern Great Barrier Reef, Guam, Indonesia and the Florida Keys in the Atlantic, had suffered extensive bleaching.	In April, scientists reported large parts of the world’s corals, in areas such as the northern Great Barrier Reef, Guam, Indonesia and the Florida Keys in the Atlantic, had suffered extensive bleaching.
The NASA project uses a light sensor fitted into the belly of the modified jet to measure the health of the reefs. Every object has its own spectral signature and the Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer, or Prism, picks up light that bounces off the sand, algae and coral and breaks it into hundreds of bands of color. It will provide very high quality images of the reef, said Michelle Gierach, a marine scientist from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.	The NASA project uses a light sensor fitted into the belly of the modified jet to measure the health of the reefs. Every object has its own spectral signature and the Portable Remote Imaging Spectrometer, or Prism, picks up light that bounces off the sand, algae and coral and breaks it into hundreds of bands of color. It will provide very high quality images of the reef, said Michelle Gierach, a marine scientist from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
“It has the right sensitivity, resolution and uniformity to answer key questions about coral reef conditions,” Dr. Gierach said, speaking from Cairns, a reef tourism hub in the state of Queensland. It uses what is called a hyper-spectral sensor, meaning it picks up the entire color spectrum reflected back through the water and the atmosphere.	“It has the right sensitivity, resolution and uniformity to answer key questions about coral reef conditions,” Dr. Gierach said, speaking from Cairns, a reef tourism hub in the state of Queensland. It uses what is called a hyper-spectral sensor, meaning it picks up the entire color spectrum reflected back through the water and the atmosphere.
“It will bring reefs on par with how we look at the terrestrial environments,” said Stuart Phinn, a geographer and director of the University of Queensland’s remote sensing research center.	“It will bring reefs on par with how we look at the terrestrial environments,” said Stuart Phinn, a geographer and director of the University of Queensland’s remote sensing research center.
“We don’t pay attention to our reefs in the same way we do with our forests — and we should,” Dr. Phinn said. “And assuming it works, and they put a satellite up afterward, it will be a major step-change in coral reef science and management.”	“We don’t pay attention to our reefs in the same way we do with our forests — and we should,” Dr. Phinn said. “And assuming it works, and they put a satellite up afterward, it will be a major step-change in coral reef science and management.”
Scientists hope to assemble a detailed portrait of thousands of square miles: the clear blue of shallow waters, the white-capped dark swirls of the deep sea, and the reef, like a backbone cresting Queensland’s east coast from the tip of the Cape York Peninsula toward Bundaberg in the south.	Scientists hope to assemble a detailed portrait of thousands of square miles: the clear blue of shallow waters, the white-capped dark swirls of the deep sea, and the reef, like a backbone cresting Queensland’s east coast from the tip of the Cape York Peninsula toward Bundaberg in the south.
And, now, they want scale, too.	And, now, they want scale, too.
Dr. Hochberg wants detail so fine that he can tell how much algae is in the bright white sand, and on the reef, and how much of any reef is coral and how much is sand. Scientists also want to know how rising sea temperatures, water acidity, pollution, sediment and overfishing affect reefs over time.	Dr. Hochberg wants detail so fine that he can tell how much algae is in the bright white sand, and on the reef, and how much of any reef is coral and how much is sand. Scientists also want to know how rising sea temperatures, water acidity, pollution, sediment and overfishing affect reefs over time.
So few large-scale scientific surveys have been done of the world’s reefs that little is known about them, he said. “How can you tell me about a forest from a single walk into the woods and a look at a grove of trees?” Dr. Hochberg said. “How can a scuba diver tell you about the health of a reef from 10, or even 20, dives?”	So few large-scale scientific surveys have been done of the world’s reefs that little is known about them, he said. “How can you tell me about a forest from a single walk into the woods and a look at a grove of trees?” Dr. Hochberg said. “How can a scuba diver tell you about the health of a reef from 10, or even 20, dives?”
Complicating matters further, data collected to support predictions of declining reef ~~heath~~ are not uniform and are surprisingly sparse, he said. Some countries lack the money to monitor reefs in their own backyards.	Complicating matters further, data collected to support predictions of declining reef health are not uniform and are surprisingly sparse, he said. Some countries lack the money to monitor reefs in their own backyards.
The Heron Island experiment involves groups of scientists collecting data at sea level and in the water that they hope will validate information collected on the jet as it flies back and forth across the reef. The reefs around Heron Island are one of six Great Barrier Reef sites to be surveyed.	The Heron Island experiment involves groups of scientists collecting data at sea level and in the water that they hope will validate information collected on the jet as it flies back and forth across the reef. The reefs around Heron Island are one of six Great Barrier Reef sites to be surveyed.
The jet began testing equipment over Hawaii in June. The scientists will return to Hawaii’s reefs and then fly to the Mariana Islands in the North Pacific, and to Palau, east of the Philippines.	The jet began testing equipment over Hawaii in June. The scientists will return to Hawaii’s reefs and then fly to the Mariana Islands in the North Pacific, and to Palau, east of the Philippines.
Robin Beaman, a marine geologist from James Cook University in Queensland, will help validate some of the data the NASA sensor collects. The Great Barrier Reef is more than 1,400 miles long, and in some places it stretches more than 180 miles out to sea.	Robin Beaman, a marine geologist from James Cook University in Queensland, will help validate some of the data the NASA sensor collects. The Great Barrier Reef is more than 1,400 miles long, and in some places it stretches more than 180 miles out to sea.
“It is vast,” Dr. Beaman said. “Currently, we visit small slices of the reef and we expect to know all about its health, where the coral lives, what’s living on the coral, and how it survives stresses like warmer water.”	“It is vast,” Dr. Beaman said. “Currently, we visit small slices of the reef and we expect to know all about its health, where the coral lives, what’s living on the coral, and how it survives stresses like warmer water.”
In Australia, state and federal governments routinely use satellite images to check land clearing, and the health of rivers and flood plains.	In Australia, state and federal governments routinely use satellite images to check land clearing, and the health of rivers and flood plains.
“The land is where people live, and scientists have thought that it matters more than the sea,” Dr. Beaman said. “So we have a very clear sense of what’s happening to terrestrial environments.”	“The land is where people live, and scientists have thought that it matters more than the sea,” Dr. Beaman said. “So we have a very clear sense of what’s happening to terrestrial environments.”
Landsat 8, a United States Geological Survey satellite launched into space in 2013, takes images of earth, including the ocean, down to a scale where a pixel represents about 98 feet square. Each pixel from Prism represents 26 feet square, but even it has limitations. Light dissipates in deeper water; clouds, wind and murky seas can obscure a reef.	Landsat 8, a United States Geological Survey satellite launched into space in 2013, takes images of earth, including the ocean, down to a scale where a pixel represents about 98 feet square. Each pixel from Prism represents 26 feet square, but even it has limitations. Light dissipates in deeper water; clouds, wind and murky seas can obscure a reef.
The effects of wave stress, rising sea temperatures, pollution and overfishing will be plotted against the data collected from the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, the Mariana Islands and Palau. But this field trip is a snapshot that is not likely to be repeated.	The effects of wave stress, rising sea temperatures, pollution and overfishing will be plotted against the data collected from the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, the Mariana Islands and Palau. But this field trip is a snapshot that is not likely to be repeated.
“The real question is when will it be flying routinely?” said C. Mark Eakin, the coordinator of Coral Reef Watch at the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Maryland.	“The real question is when will it be flying routinely?” said C. Mark Eakin, the coordinator of Coral Reef Watch at the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Maryland.
That may take a decade. NASA aims to build instruments, test them on aircraft and then launch them into space where they can circle the globe and continuously collect data.	That may take a decade. NASA aims to build instruments, test them on aircraft and then launch them into space where they can circle the globe and continuously collect data.
“It’s going to give us data that is better than anything else we have right now,” said Dr. Gierach of NASA. “Our angle is: Can we put this in space? That’s what we aim for.”	“It’s going to give us data that is better than anything else we have right now,” said Dr. Gierach of NASA. “Our angle is: Can we put this in space? That’s what we aim for.”