Click the live stream below to comment and timestamp your observations and help us collect data now!
Fun fact….Even if you aren’t physically swimming across coral reefs, you can still help protect them.
“Observe and Conserve” is an effort put forward by REEF and the MEGA lab to give people the opportunity to protect coral reefs from wherever they feel most comfortable. Participants are able to tune into a live stream of a small patch of reef off the western most point of Hawai‘i Island. People are then invited to comment, identify and discover all the different species living on the reef.
Whether you identify a shark, coral, squid or algae bloom, every comment and timestamp gives scientists the ability to understand more about the reef around the world. Scientists are actively collecting other data like tide, wind, and water temperature in real time and can match the presence of different animals to different environmental events.
The camera is part of collaboration with Aqualink, The MEGA Lab, and View Into The Blue. The project is designed to revolutionize marine monitoring by developing innovative observatory stations that leverage technological advancements to improve our capacity to monitor coral reefs in the face of climate change.
Check out behind the scenes of how the Mega Cam came about: