Reef Life Survey: Global Shallow Reef Site Locations

Reef Life Survey (RLS) data shows the location of diver-surveyed sites along 50m transects on shallow rocky and coral reefs worldwide. The dataset contains only spatial information for sites, with repeat surveys excluded. This version is superseded by a synthesized global dataset from the National Reef Monitoring Network (NRMN).

Use Cases

• Map historical survey effort for shallow reefs based on the described global site locations.
• Analyze the spatial distribution of surveyed reef sites worldwide as mentioned in the description.
• Identify geographic gaps in monitoring coverage for shallow rocky and coral reef ecosystems.
• Use site locations as a spatial reference for separate biological datasets on fish and invertebrate abundance.

Strengths

• Covers survey sites worldwide, as stated in the description.
• Focuses on a specific survey method: 50m transects on shallow rocky and coral reefs.
• Managed by the authoritative Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN).

Limitations

• This dataset is explicitly superseded; a more current version exists in the NRMN collection.
• Contains only spatial information; biological data is stored in separate datasets.
• Repeat surveys of the same sites are not included in this collection.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Surveys undertaken by divers along 50m transects as part of monitoring programs.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-11 16:15:43.821278; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Worldwide, with a noted focus on locations mostly in Australia.