NOAA's Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment Biogeography Branch collects water quality and habitat data to assess and monitor coral reef ecosystems in La Parguera, Puerto Rico. The dataset supports a multi-year study linking environmental parameters to fish and macro-invertebrate populations. Data collection began in 2003 and is ongoing.
Use Cases
- Model fish species distribution using water quality parameters like temperature and salinity as predictors.
- Assess the efficacy of marine zoning strategies by correlating management actions with trends in macro-invertebrate abundance.
- Identify biodiversity 'hot spots' by analyzing spatial patterns of species richness against underlying habitat maps.
- Monitor long-term changes in coral reef health by tracking time-series water quality and habitat data.
- Stratify sampling and analysis using the nearshore benthic habitat maps created by NOAA's Biogeography Program.
Strengths
- Data collection spans over 20 years, beginning in 2003 and continuing to the present.
- Standardized protocols are used throughout the US Caribbean, enabling cross-location comparison.
- Sampling is stratified using GIS and habitat maps to ensure coverage of the entire study region.
Limitations
- Specific sample size, row count, and column details are not provided in the description.
- The geographic scope is limited to La Parguera, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment's Biogeography Branch.
- Collection Method
- Field data collected at randomly selected sites following standardized protocols for fish, macro-invertebrates, water quality, and habitat parameters, stratified using GIS and habitat maps.
- Time Range
- 2003 - Present
- Freshness
- Data collection is described as ongoing, with monitoring continuing into its fifth year at the time of the description.
- Geography
- La Parguera, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.