Abstract
Coral reefs represent one of the keystone ecosystems of planet earth characterized by high biological productivity and environmental complexities. As coral reefs are extremely sensitive to the environmental conditions, they are often used as important indicators of climate change. This chapter discusses the functions of coral reefs, climate change/environmental stresses and models for reef health monitoring. Mapping and monitoring of coral reef habitats in Indian Ocean using satellite data have also been discussed. Coral bleaching events coinciding with high summer sea surface temperatures and their impacts on coral reef health in four major Indian reef regions during 1997–2010 are discussed here. This chapter also presents a case study on monitoring the impact of climate change on an Indian reef using satellite data.
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Notes
- 1.
Scleractinia refers to the most common group or taxonomic order of stony hard corals under class Anthozoa.
- 2.
Hydrocorallian refers to another taxonomic order of corals under class Hydrozoa.
- 3.
Hermatypic means reef-building.
- 4.
Oligotrophic: this term is applied to waters poor in nutrients and with low primary productivity.
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Acknowledgements
Authors are thankful to Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for his constant encouragement and to Deputy Director, Earth, Ocean, Atmosphere, Planetary Sciences and Applications Area (EPSA), SAC for his overall support and fruitful discussions.
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Chaudhury, N.R., Ajai (2014). Impact of Climate Change on Coral Reefs. In: Sundaresan, J., Santosh, K., Déri, A., Roggema, R., Singh, R. (eds) Geospatial Technologies and Climate Change. Geotechnologies and the Environment, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01689-4_3
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