Hawaii's coral reefs provide more than $835 million in flood protection for the state annually, according to a new study. "Most people have no idea how valuable coral reefs are for coastal protection," co-author Michael Beck, a research professor at UC-Santa Cruz, said in a statement. Reefs provide more than $1.8 billion in flood protection annually, including about $12 million on Kauai, $395 million on Oahu, $377 million on Maui and $51 million on the Big Island, the report said. The report says that in a 50-year storm, coral reefs off Honolulu alone could provide more than $435 million in flood protection. ———Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com

Source: ABC News May 04, 2019 17:37 UTC