Reef-wide Scaled Carbon Comparison: Fish Biomass and Carbon Stock in the RGV Reef

24.4 tons of fish biomass, equating to 2.81 metric tons of carbon, were estimated for the 1,650-acre Rio Grande Valley (RGV) artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico. The dataset was created by Allison K. White using split-beam sonar and literature-derived measurements to assess carbon held in fish populations. It was last updated on June 4, 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling carbon sequestration potential of artificial reefs based on estimated fish biomass.
• Comparing habitat effectiveness of different reef structure types (low vs. high relief) mentioned in the description.
• Assessing the role of artificial reefs as 'novel habitat stepping-stones' for fish species at different life stages.

Strengths

• Provides a specific carbon stock estimate of 2.81 metric tons for the fish population.
• Covers a defined geographic area of 1,650 acres in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.
• Data collection method (Simrad EK80 split-beam sonar) is explicitly stated.

Limitations

• Dataset is very small at 5.5 KB, indicating limited scope or summary-level data.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for detailed analysis.

Provenance

Source

Allison K. White via figshare.

Collection Method

Fish biomass estimated using a Simrad EK80 split-beam sonar and literature-derived carbon measurements.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 17:28:32; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Reef, northwestern Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Texas.