December 18, 2018

Wish Upon a Sea Star With Reef Check

 
 

 

No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change. We are all experiencing the impacts with devastating natural disasters, like the worsening hurricane seasons in the Caribbean and Pacific and increasingly deadly wildfires in California. The effects of climate change have manifested globally in the form of fires, droughts, hurricanes, sea level rise, and coral bleaching, and continue to intensify at an unprecedented scale.

This year, Reef Check’s Wish Upon a Sea Star projects are on the front lines of combating climate change. Our citizen scientists are expanding our knowledge of climate impact on the oceans, empowering coastal communities to preserve their local reefs, and nurturing the next generation of ocean ambassadors. Please join us by choosing your favorite projects to support and help us make a difference for current and future generations.


Keepers of the Coral California’s Climate Canaries A New Generation of Ocean Ambassadors
Coral bleaching can turn rich, diverse and healthy coral reefs into rubble within months, but not all corals respond equally to warming seas. Understanding which corals are resilient to bleaching can help us care for coral reefs in a changing climate. NOAA and Reef Check are partnering to empower communities worldwide with the tools to understand how their coral reef will be impacted by climate change.
Learn More
Hidden beneath the sea’s green surface, an army of oceanographic sensors silently collects information along California’s coastline. Their mission? Capture data on temperature, acidity, and oxygen fluctuations in the state’s iconic kelp forests as our oceans encounter climate change. California’s marine ecosystems are rapidly changing and studying these shifts can help us understand and mitigate climate change worldwide.
Learn More
Imagine being out at sea on a boat hearing young students screaming in delight as they see dolphins gracefully swimming through the waves for the very first time with their own eyes. Envision these students making personal connections to the ocean, so vast and yet under threat, and then discovering how they can take action and make a difference. By learning and spreading the word about the effects of climate change and ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint, they can become ambassadors to their communities for reducing human impacts in the future. Learn More