Acropora Coral Presence Survey in Upper Florida Keys Reefs

NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center documented the presence or absence of Acropora coral species at shallow reef sites in the Upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Data collection occurred via snorkel and tow surveys using handheld GPS units in water less than 5 meters deep. The dataset, which appears on multiple federal data platforms, includes GIS shapefiles, attribute files, and metadata.

Use Cases

• Mapping the spatial distribution of Acropora coral colonies across specific reefs like Molasses Reef and French Reef.
• Analyzing changes in coral presence/absence for habitat health assessments over the survey period.
• Integrating GPS point data with other marine GIS layers for sanctuary management planning.

Strengths

• Data collection method is clearly documented as handheld GPS during snorkel/tow surveys.
• Geographic scope is specific to the Upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
• Dataset is hosted on multiple federal platforms (NASA Earthdata and Data.gov), indicating formal vetting.

Limitations

• Critical metadata like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2007-12-31 and another 2026-03-05.
• The license for data use is not specified.

Provenance

Source

NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center.

Collection Method

Handheld GPS marking during snorkel or tow surveys of shallow water (<5m) reef habitats.

Time Range

2005 - 2007

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:03:35.483851

Geography

Upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Florida, USA, including reefs like Molasses Reef and French Reef.