Florida Keys Staghorn and Elkhorn Coral Distribution Surveys

2005-2015 visual snorkel surveys map live colonies of the threatened staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) in the upper Florida Keys. NOAA NCEI manages this dataset, which includes an initial 2005-2007 survey and follow-up 2013-2015 surveys to assess changes in distribution and abundance. Surveys targeted specific habitat strata prioritized from 2005 habitat maps.

Use Cases

• Monitoring population changes of ESA-listed Acropora species over a decade.
• Assessing coral recovery actions by comparing colony distribution between 2005-2007 and 2013-2015.
• Mapping priority coral habitats in specific reef areas like Carysfort Reef and Elbow Reef.
• Evaluating ecological status for threatened staghorn and elkhorn corals using visual survey data.

Strengths

• Provides multi-year temporal coverage from 2005 to 2015 for tracking changes.
• Focuses on specific, threatened coral species (Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis) in a defined geographic region.
• Surveys were conducted using standardized visual methods with handheld GPS for geospatial accuracy.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and dataset size are unknown from all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2015 and another listing 2026.
• License information is not provided by any source.

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI

Collection Method

Visual surveys by snorkelers using handheld GPS units.

Time Range

2005-2015

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:34:43.382225

Geography

Upper Florida Keys reef areas, including Carysfort Reef, Elbow Reef, Conch Shallow Reef, Dry Rocks.