Innovating Coral Reef Mapping with Drones & NASA Fluid Lensing Technology in the Mariana Islands

Coral reefs in the Mariana Islands serve important roles for the islands’ ecology and economy, contributing to the region’s fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, education, and cultural histories. Despite their immense value, the resilience of these marine ecosystems is threatened by an array of climate-change induced stressors, including ocean acidification and coral bleaching. In response, a team from the University of Guam (UOG) launched a large-scale coral reef mapping campaign to monitor priority reef sites throughout the Mariana Islands using drone technology. The UOG team, consisting of researchers and remote pilots funded by the USGS, Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center, NASA Guam EPSCoR, and NASA Guam Space Grant, has been conducting drone-based missions to capture high-resolution imagery of priority coral reef sites across Guam and Saipan. Their efforts aim to gather aerial data of coral reefs in Micronesia, providing resource managers with essential information regarding response and recovery. Initially, the campaign used of NASA’s fluid lensing technology developed by Chirayath (2019) for coral reef mapping. This technology combines unmanned aerial systems (UAS), off-the-shelf technology, and machine learning algorithms to create detailed coral reef maps by filtering out distortions caused by light and ocean waves, resulting in clear, high-resolution imagery. In 2024, this process was augmented to employ a new methodology that strategically uses RGB sensors and low tides. This system allows the remote pilots to capture the areas and produce orthomosaic maps at much more efficient rates while maintaining high-resolution quality. By providing these datasets within a shorter turn-around time, local natural resource managers are able to get a timely snapshot of the coral reef sites – providing crucial data of the ecosystem’s health that can help inform conservation decisions. This presentation will outline the collaborative efforts between UOG and regional partners, demonstrating how drones and fluid lensing technology are innovating coral reef monitoring efforts. It will explore how the collected data can help local resource managers make informed decisions regarding coral reef management, showcase coral reefs to the general public, ultimately transforming how local communities can contribute to coral reef resilience.