Coral Reef Maps of the World

[Mark Spalding]

Dear all

Thanks to CHAMP, Jim and others for putting Sue Well's maps from the coral reef directories on the web, these are an important resource, being clear, detailed, and well annotated.

At the same time it should be pointed out that there are other reef maps, many at higher resolution, fully referenced and with linked information also on the web. Sue's maps (and much of the source material for these, which remains at WCMC) were a important source for some of these newer maps, but in other cases the resolution has been improved and maps updated. I would encourage NOAA and any others who want, to provide clearer links to these pages.

ReefBase probably runs the best version on
http://www.cgiar.org/iclarm/reefbase/ 
Click on the Maps window on the right hand side of the screen

Alternatively you can get the same maps at WCMC's web site, which also offers some related marine statistics (although we're hoping to do updates on some of this soon!)
http://www.wcmc.org.uk/marine/data/ 

Through our Internet Map Server facilities on the web you can also view the WCMC reef data through an interactive web-based GIS, and link this to marine turtle distribution (Indian Ocean) and coral disease distribution (global).
http://www.wcmc.org.uk/marine/mturtle/index.htm 
http://www.wcmc.org.uk/marine/coraldis/index.htm

I hope we will be able to update these web maps in the next year or so as our GIS data are being rapidly improved at the present time as a part of an ongoing project with UNEP to produce a World Atlas of Coral Reefs.

Thanks

Mark
_____________________________________

Mark Spalding, PhD
Marine Biologist                                      e-mail:mark.spalding at wcmc.org.uk
World Conservation Monitoring Centre   www.wcmc.org.uk
219 Huntingdon Road                            Tel: +44 (0)1223 277314
Cambridge, CB3 0DL                              Fax: +44 (0)1223 277136
UK
and
Research Associate
Cambridge Coastal Research Unit
Department of Geography
Downing St
Cambridge
UK