This report is the first product from a collaborative effort to implement an 'ecosystem approach' to assess coral reef health. Through the concurrent development and analysis of data on chemical contaminants, reef biogeography, coral pathogens, biomarkers and land use, cause and effect linkages between stressors and coral condition can be established. The project is in direct response to the NOAA-led interagency assessment 'The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States', which calls for an integrated approach for assessing, monitoring and forecasting coral reef ecosystem condition, and highlights the need to communicate and transfer these capabilities.