Jennifer Koss is the director of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. Jennifer leads a diverse staff that supports effective management and sound science to preserve, sustain, and restore valuable coral reef ecosystems for current and future generations. With experience working in the U.S. Congress, EPA, and NOAA, Jennifer’s career reflects her interests in marine science and domestic and international policy.
Dr. C. Mark Eakin is the coordinator of NOAA Coral Reef Watch, a program that monitors threats to coral reef ecosystems through satellite and in-water observations. Dr. Eakin works to better understand coral reef ecology, especially the impact of climate change on coral reefs, coral bleaching, ocean acidification, and the behavior of marine organisms. He has studied coral reefs around the U.S. and its territories, as well as internationally.
Dr. Randy Kosaki is a coral reef fish ecologist with NOAA's Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Dr. Kosaki's research specialization is in the use of advanced dive technologies such as closed-circuit rebreathers to explore the coral reef "twilight zone," or mesophotic (deep) coral reefs between 150 and 330 feet deep. His research is primarily focused on the remote reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, but has taken him to numerous localities across the tropical Pacific.
A healthy, resilient reef can either resist a stressful event, like bleaching, or recover from it. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive if water temperatures return to normal quickly.