[2] Spanning 13,581 sq mi,[2][3] it is thought to be home to the greatest biodiversity of aquatic species of all the marine sanctuaries.

The American Samoa archipelago is located in the mid-south Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.

From June to September, southern humpback whales migrate north from Antarctica to calve and court in Samoan waters.

Research plays a role in management by supplying information needed to make resource protection decisions based on hard scientific data.

In the late 1970s, millions of Acanthaster planci or crown-of-thorns starfish (alamea), a coral-eating animal, ate their way through Tutuila's reefs.

[11] At the time, Fagatele Bay was not a National Marine Sanctuary, but this disaster propelled the decision for the site's designation.

There are 14 sanctuaries in the program ranging from Stellwagen Bank off Cape Cod to the Channel Islands in southern California.

Scientists, headed up by Dr. Charles Birkenland, used the starfish's destruction as a focus of their long-term research: to follow the recovery of a coral reef.

This database is unique for Samoa and the study is one of the few long-running surveys of its type in the world An increase in greenhouse gas emissions have caused a rise in global temperatures.

This phenomenon, known as global warming or climate change, is beginning to impact Earth's most treasured natural spaces, and the Samoan Islands are among the most vulnerable regions.

[14] It is projected that by 2060, the aragonite (CaCO3) saturation state that is crucial to coral growth will fall below the optimal threshold of 4.0 to 3.5, and continue deteriorating in the future.

[14][16] By the year 2115, under extreme warming, it is projected that water temperatures in this region may be too high for species currently living in the reefs.

[14] These extreme events cause large amounts of sediment runoff, which bury corals, suffocating and killing them.

[14] This buoy records real-time values of water temperature, acidity, and other relevant parameters, that can then be used to assess trends.

[14] The population of crown-of-thorns sea star, a natural predator of corals, is closely monitored and controlled to prevent outbreaks.

Scientific programs include a continuing resource assessment survey, begun in 1985, and coral reef monitoring.

The sanctuary makes a special effort to work with the American Samoan community with outreach programs for all ages.

These programs explore the marine life in the bay, including ancient reef-dwellers and solar-powered clams, teaching ways to protect the resources there.