Residents and visitors both revel in Kauai’s lush landscape, and beneath its seascape. However, it’s underwater where things don’t look so healthy. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey put together a detailed picture of the physical environment of the coral reefs at Makua Beach. Understanding just what these reefs are exposed to and for how long, may help explain why some corals here have succumbed to black band disease.

Videographer: Amy West, USGS

Additional Credits:
Thanks to the Division of Aquatic Resources and Department of Land and Natural Resources; Chris Runyon and University of Hawaii; Dan Hoover, Cordell Johnson, Olivia Cheriton, Renee Takesue of the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program; Alan, Cindy and Brock Williams

Filmed and produced by Amy West, USGS

Atsea drifter footage by Josh Logan, SCUBA footage by Curt Storlazzi

All CC license 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
[
Lihue aerial (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...)
Landing strip (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Makeweli aerial by Christopher Becker (Polihale) (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...)
Golf course drone footage, Max Seigal (seagullaerial.com) (https://vimeo.com/148457358)
Other drone footage, Christophe Tauziet (https://vimeo.com/95172965)
]

Footage from http://coralreefs.wr.usgs.gov/CoralDi...

Music by Blue Dot Sessions (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blu...)
[
The Zeppelin (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blu...)
Steadfast (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blu...)
Balti (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blu..., CC BYNC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
]