Caribbean Sea Water Depth and Acoustic Backscatter Data from 2005

Water depth and acoustic backscatter data were collected from the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in the Caribbean Sea, south of St. John, St. Thomas, and Buck Island, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) gathered this data during a scientific research mission from February 1 to 12, 2005, to support benthic characterization of coral reef habitats. The dataset is hosted by NOAA NCEI under accession number 0131860.

Use Cases

• Map seafloor bathymetry based on water depth measurements
• Characterize benthic habitats based on acoustic backscatter data
• Support coral reef conservation and management planning based on the research mission's purpose

Strengths

• Data collected during a dedicated NOAA scientific research mission
• Specific temporal coverage from 2005-02-01 to 2005-02 12
• Geographic focus on coral reef habitats in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Limitations

• Last updated 2005-02-12 00:00:00; freshness should be verified
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

NOAA NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information)

Collection Method

Collected from NOAA Ship Nancy Foster by the Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA)

Time Range

2005-02-01 to 2005-02-12

Freshness

Last updated 2005-02-12 00:00:00

Geography

Caribbean Sea, south of St. John, St. Thomas, and Buck Island, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands