The growth of coral reef science in the Gulf: A historical perspective

•Coral reef science has grown exponentially in recent decades in the Gulf.•This paper summarizes the growth and evolution of coral reef research in the Gulf.•Of the 270 publications on Gulf reefs since 1950, half occurred in the past decade.•While scientific knowledge has grown, the health of regional reefs has declined.•Scientists must improve dialogue with regional managers and decision-makers. Coral reef science has grown exponentially in recent decades in the Gulf. Analysis of literature from 1950 to 2012 identified 270 publications on coral reefs in the Gulf, half of which were published in just the past decade. This paper summarizes the growth and evolution of coral reef science in the Gulf by examining when, where and how research has been conducted on Gulf reefs, who conducted that research, and what themes and taxa have dominated scientific interest. The results demonstrate that there has been significant growth in our understanding of the valuable coral reefs of the Gulf, but also highlight the fact that we are documenting an increasingly degraded ecosystem. Reef scientists must make a concerted effort to improve dialogue with regional reef management and decision-makers if we are to stem the tide of decline in coral reefs in the Gulf.