“High-resolution satellite maps show that coral reefs cover an area of ocean larger than New Mexico,” reports Bloomberg News. That’s about twice the size of some prior estimates.
“The total area of the planet that is covered in coral reefs is larger than previously thought, according to the most comprehensive high-resolution assessment.”
“Shallow coral reefs cover about 348,000 square kilometers (or about 134,000 square miles) of the globe’s surface — an area larger than the state of New Mexico. The results from new University of Queensland-led research compare to previous estimates ranging from roughly 154,000 to 301,000 square kilometers.”
It was previously thought that Australia and Indonesia have about the same amount of coral reef, but actually, Indonesia has more. And Australia has only about half as much coral habitat.
Below is a list of mapped area (km2) for major coral reef countries of the world:
| Country | Visible reef extent | Shallow coral reefs | Coral habitat | Coral habitat 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 43,139 | 32,310 | 14,173 | 7,930–19,695 |
| Australia | 37,422 | 28,233 | 9,416 | 4,815–13,364 |
| Philippines | 19,863 | 15,097 | 7,741 | 4,762–10,205 |
| Cuba | 52,476 | 51,510 | 3,536 | 2,538–4,709 |
| Papua New Guinea | 13,253 | 8,572 | 3,533 | 1,621–4,808 |
| Fiji | 7,610 | 5,368 | 2,661 | 1,270–3,355 |
| Saudi Arabia | 9,765 | 8,446 | 2,257 | 1,430–2,841 |
| New Caledonia | 6,346 | 4,551 | 1,885 | 900–2,377 |
| Myanmar | 3,028 | 2,439 | 1,721 | 914–2,252 |
| Solomon Islands | 6,013 | 3,512 | 1,703 | 782–2,318 |
| Marshall Islands | 3,238 | 2,543 | 1,662 | 850–2,200 |
| Madagascar | 3,949 | 3,465 | 1,508 | 1,123–1,715 |
| Bahamas | 108,973 | 107,449 | 1,504 | 1,079–2,002 |
| Maldives | 5,067 | 2,989 | 1,308 | 770–1,529 |
| United States | 3,046 | 2,772 | 1,183 | 849–1,575 |
| Eritrea | 4,451 | 3,459 | 1,103 | 699–1,389 |
| Mozambique | 4,027 | 3,666 | 1,052 | 784–1,197 |
| Malaysia | 3,844 | 2,859 | 1,041 | 553–1,362 |
| French Polynesia | 6,280 | 4,824 | 1,030 | 780–1,311 |
| Tanzania | 3,387 | 2,988 | 1,017 | 757–1,156 |
This is not the only good news from the natural world. Most of the world’s forests are growing. Florida’s manatees have rebounded to their highest number in years.
Sea turtles are proliferating, with sea turtle nests tripling in Florida. Fish species are rebounding off the coast of California due to their young finding a sanctuary in abandoned oil rigs.
A baby beaver was recently born in London, the first beaver birth there in 400 years. Recently, carnivorous plants were reintroduced to English wetlands.
