And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is about to change that.

With a $1.4 million three-year study of the deep Hawaiian coral ecosystems.

Four Honolulu-based groups have each been awarded $500,000 to conduct the research, which include the Bishop Museum, the University of Hawaii, the state and NOAA's Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center.

Scientists will focus on the recently discovered coral ecosystem in the auau channel between Maui and Lanai and hope to determine the characteristics of deep water reefs and how they compare to reefs in shallow waters.

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