Our research in Tonga will fill major gaps in understanding. These reef communities have been poorly studied, with exception of a few locations near more populated islands. Coral reefs in Tonga are reported to have been impacted by multiple threats, including large scale disturbances such as tropical cyclones, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, sea-level fluctuations associated with El Niño events, and a bleaching event in 2000. Reefs near populated areas have also been confronted by major anthropogenic threats since the 1980s, including overexploitation of natural resources, destructive fishing practices, siltation and runoff resulting from rapid urbanization and human population growth.
Global Reef Expedition Data Contributes to Landmark Report on the World’s Coral Reefs
More than a decade after scientists aboard the Global Reef Expedition surveyed coral reefs across the Pacific, the data they collected continues to contribute to our understanding of the world’s coral reefs.
Today, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) released Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025, the most comprehensive assessment to date of the status and trends of coral reefs worldwide. The report brings together an extraordinary amount of information collected over more than four decades—and the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is proud to have contributed data from the Global Reef Expedition to this global effort.
