National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessment of coral reef benthic communities in the Florida Reef Tract
Benthic survey data provided in this collection of datasets are from three (3) distinct regions along the Florida reef tract; 1) Dry Tortugas, 2) Florida Keys from Key West north to Miami, and 3) Miami north to Martin County. Lead agencies involved include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center (NOAA Fisheries) and National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS).
The Benthic Assessment (BA) is the first of two benthic surveys conducted in Florida as part of the ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Benthic Assessment provides benthic cover estimates for ecologically important cover types/groups (e.g., macroalgae, turf algae, crustose coralline algae, corals, sponges, sand/sediment, etc.) using a 1-stage stratified random survey design in hardbottom and coral reef habitats less than 30m in depth. The goals of these surveys are to provide: (1) a quantification of percent cover of biotic and abiotic benthic components using a linear point intercept (LPI) method; (2) information on topographic complexity (substratum rugosity) of the survey locations (3) quantitative information on local commercially and ecologically-important macroinvertebrates (Caribbean spiny lobster [Panulirus argus], queen conch [Strombus gigas], long-spined sea urchin [Diadema antillarum]); and (4) presence-absence information for ESA-listed Threatened corals. Surveys are concurrent with and along the same transect with Coral Demographic surveys.
The Coral Demographic method is the second of two benthic surveys conducted along the Florida reef tract as part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The goal of the coral demographic surveys is to collect and report information on species composition, density, size, abundance, and specific parameters of condition (% live vs. dead, bleaching, disease) of non-juvenile scleractinian corals (>4 cm maximum diameter), and of overall species diversity (all corals) using 10m x 1m belt transects in a stratified random sampling design in hardbottom and coral reef habitats less than 30m in depth. Surveys are concurrent with and along the same transect of the Benthic Assessment surveys, including the Line Point-Intercept (LPI) survey.
The Benthic Assessment (BA) is the first of two benthic surveys conducted in Florida as part of the ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Benthic Assessment provides benthic cover estimates for ecologically important cover types/groups (e.g., macroalgae, turf algae, crustose coralline algae, corals, sponges, sand/sediment, etc.) using a 1-stage stratified random survey design in hardbottom and coral reef habitats less than 30m in depth. The goals of these surveys are to provide: (1) a quantification of percent cover of biotic and abiotic benthic components using a linear point intercept (LPI) method; (2) information on topographic complexity (substratum rugosity) of the survey locations (3) quantitative information on local commercially and ecologically-important macroinvertebrates (Caribbean spiny lobster [Panulirus argus], queen conch [Strombus gigas], long-spined sea urchin [Diadema antillarum]); and (4) presence-absence information for ESA-listed Threatened corals. Surveys are concurrent with and along the same transect with Coral Demographic surveys.
The Coral Demographic method is the second of two benthic surveys conducted along the Florida reef tract as part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The goal of the coral demographic surveys is to collect and report information on species composition, density, size, abundance, and specific parameters of condition (% live vs. dead, bleaching, disease) of non-juvenile scleractinian corals (>4 cm maximum diameter), and of overall species diversity (all corals) using 10m x 1m belt transects in a stratified random sampling design in hardbottom and coral reef habitats less than 30m in depth. Surveys are concurrent with and along the same transect of the Benthic Assessment surveys, including the Line Point-Intercept (LPI) survey.
Dataset Citation
- Cite as: NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center; NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (2018). National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessment of coral reef benthic communities in the Florida Reef Tract. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.7289/v5xw4h4z. Accessed [date].
Dataset Identifiers
ISO 19115-2 Metadata
gov.noaa.nodc:NCRMP-Benthic-Florida
Search Data |
|
Download Data |
|
Distribution Formats |
|
Ordering Instructions | Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions. |
Distributor |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information +1-301-713-3277 NCEI.Info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Time Period | 2014-05-01 to Present |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: -83.1036
East: -80.0163
South: 24.4239
North: 26.2592
|
Spatial Coverage Map |
General Documentation |
|
Associated Resources |
|
Publication Dates |
|
Data Presentation Form | Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns |
Dataset Progress Status | Ongoing - data is continually being updated Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility |
Data Update Frequency | As needed |
Supplemental Information | Accessions: 0156879, 0169401, 0208322, 0253452, and 0282195 |
Purpose | The goal of the coral demographic surveys is to collect and report information on species composition, density, size, abundance, and specific parameters of condition (% live vs. dead and bleaching) of non-juvenile scleractinian corals (> 4 cm maximum diameter), and of overall species diversity (all corals) using 10m x 1m belt transects in a stratified random sampling design in hard-bottom and coral reef habitats in the U.S. Atlantic and Caribbean. The goal of these surveys is to provide a measure of percent cover of biotic and abiotic components of the benthos, using the Line Point-Intercept (LPI) method in a stratified random sampling design in hard bottom and coral reef habitats in the U.S. Atlantic and Caribbean. Surveys are concurrent with and along the same transect as fish surveys. |
Use Limitations |
|
Dataset Citation |
|
Cited Authors | |
Contributors | |
Resource Providers |
|
Points of Contact | |
Publishers | |
Acknowledgments |
|
Theme keywords |
NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS
|
Data Center keywords |
NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS
|
Platform keywords |
Provider Platform Names
|
Instrument keywords |
NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
Provider Instruments
|
Place keywords |
NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS
|
Project keywords |
NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS
|
Keywords | NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER |
Use Constraints |
|
Access Constraints |
|
Fees |
|
Lineage information for: series | |
---|---|
Processing Steps |
|
Acquisition Information (collection) | |
---|---|
Instrument |
|
Last Modified: 2024-05-19T16:25:30Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov