Coral Reefs In Crisis

* Coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate worldwide.
* An estimated 25% of coral reefs have already disappeared and an estimated two-thirds of all coral reefs are at risk today.
* An estimated 88% of the reefs in Southeast Asia - the most species rich reefs on earth - are at risk.
* Since 1975, more than 90% of the reefs in the Florida Keys have lost their living coral cover (study by Dr. Phil Dustan).
* Threats to the world's coral reefs include:
o -Pollution
o -Disease
o -Over-fishing
o -Dynamite and cyanide fishing
o -Sedimentation
o -Bleaching caused by rising ocean temperatures

* Called the "rainforests of the sea," coral reefs are the greatest expression of ocean life, and the most biodiverse ecosystem on Earth with 30 of 34 known animal phyla present.
* Unlike the rainforest, there is no comprehensive global baseline map of living coral reefs. This is urgently needed. A satellite mission dedicated to remote sensing of coral reefs can provide this critical global baseline.