Puerto Rico Coral Reef Benthic Community Survey Data

NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program provides benthic survey data from Puerto Rico. The dataset includes two survey types: Line Point-Intercept (LPI) for percent cover of biotic and abiotic components, and Coral Demographic surveys for detailed, species-specific population metrics. Data collection is a collaborative effort involving NOAA NCCOS, the University of Puerto Rico, and other local and federal partners.

Use Cases

• Analyzing percent cover of coral, algae, and other benthic components using Line Point-Intercept (LPI) survey data.
• Studying coral population demographics, including species-specific size and condition metrics.
• Monitoring coral reef health indicators such as bleaching and disease prevalence.
• Assessing changes in benthic habitat composition in hardbottom and coral reef environments over time.
• Integrating benthic data with concurrent fish survey transects for ecosystem-level analysis.

Strengths

• Data follows a stratified random sampling design, providing a structured basis for statistical analysis.
• Includes two complementary survey methodologies (LPI and Coral Demographic) for different levels of ecological insight.
• Collection is part of an ongoing national monitoring program (NCRMP), suggesting continuity.
• Produced through collaboration between NOAA and multiple academic and governmental partners.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing from all platforms: exact row count, column names, file size, and license are unknown.
• The listed last update date (2026-03-05) is a future date, indicating a metadata error or conflict.
• Data format is listed only as HTML, which may limit direct analytical use without preprocessing.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS).

Collection Method

Field surveys using Line Point-Intercept (LPI) and Coral Demographic protocols along transects.

Time Range

null

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:06:41.453689 (Note: This is a future date, suggesting a metadata conflict.)

Geography

Coral reef and hardbottom habitats around Puerto Rico, Caribbean Sea / North Atlantic Ocean.