Florida Keys BleachWatch: Coral Condition Reports

Florida Keys BleachWatch coordinates a network of trained observers to provide regular reports on coral conditions during and after bleaching events. Observers record environmental conditions and the percentage of bleached live coral cover using standardized forms and visual aids. This data supports the assessment of natural resilience and the development of early warning products for coral bleaching.

Use Cases

• Assessing initial impacts of bleaching events based on observer reports of coral condition.
• Determining natural resilience of coral habitats and species by interpreting condition reports from various geographic zones.
• Improving the accuracy of coral bleaching early warning products by integrating field observations.
• Communicating the condition of reefs to the public and stakeholders during potential bleaching events.

Strengths

• Data is collected by a large network of trained observers using standardized protocols and visual aids.
• Reports include observations of 'no bleaching present', which are explicitly noted as equally important for baseline assessment.
• The dataset has a documented time range from 2020-06-01 to 2020-10-16.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: column names, row count, and specific data format are unknown.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata, with one source showing 2026-03-05 and another showing 2020-10-16.
• The dataset's scale and completeness are unclear due to the lack of size and row information.

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI, via the Florida Keys BleachWatch program.

Collection Method

Observations gathered by a coordinated network of trained divers using standardized report forms and underwater visual aids.

Time Range

2020-06-01 to 2020-10-16

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:16:54.400599

Geography

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Florida Reef Tract, North Atlantic Ocean.