Figure 3. Reef habitats at Palmyra Atoll.

Palmyra’s shallow (<5 m) western reef terrace (A–B) gradually slopes to merge with a deep terrace habitat dominated by massive Porites and soft corals at 20 m (C). Palmyra’s forereef habitats generally have a steep incline and are dominated by corymbose Pocillopora corals and massive Porites (D–F). The only true backreef at Palmyra is located in the northeast (G). This shallow habitat (<3 m) boasts the highest cover of hard coral on the atoll and is in stark contrast to the heavily degraded lagoon habitat (H). Photo credits: Franklin Viola (A, C, G), GJW (B, H), Zafer Kizilkaya (D–F).