This data release provides a summary of the absolute percent composition of all recovered material and relative percent composition of coral taxa in the Holocene-aged intervals of 61 coral-reef cores collected throughout the Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) housed in the USGS Core Archive in St. Petersburg, FL (Estimated ages for distinct depths within each core are also provided; those ages were either measured by radiometric dating of coral samples at those depths or estimated by linear interpolation between measured ages. A complete dataset of all measured ages in the cores is available at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7NV9HJX (Toth and others, 2018).Estimated paleodepths of the equivalent depths observed in the coral cores acquired from 1976 to 2017 were determined by extracting the relative sea level (RSL) for each age in the cores from the model of Holocene RSL in south Florida developed by Khan and others (2017). For further information regarding data collection and analysis methods refer to the associated journal article (Toth and others, 2019). This research is a part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/).

The USGS core archive (Reich and others, 2009; https://olga.er.usgs.gov/coreviewer/) houses an extensive collection of coral-reef cores that USGS researchers have collected from throughout the Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT). USGS scientists have compiled all available data on the 71 core records that recovered Holocene reef framework, including radiometric ages (radiocarbon and U-series), data on reef development (timing of reef initiation and senescence, reef accretion, and reef thickness) and geospatial information. High-resolution core photographs and descriptive core logs for each of the cores were also produced. For further information regarding data collection and analysis methods refer to Toth and others, 2018. This research is a part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/).

The U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center’s (USGS SPCMSC) Core Archive in St. Petersburg, FL contains a collection of coral-reef cores collected from throughout the Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT). In a previous study (Toth and Stathakopoulos, 2019), USGS researchers analyzed the upper, Holocene (~11,700 years ago to present) sections of those cores to evaluate how the coral composition of the FKRT changed over millennial timescales. Using the same methods, USGS researchers quantified the relative composition of late Pleistocene (~116 to 74 thousand years before present; Marine Isotope Stages [MIS] 5d, 5c, 5b, and 5a) sections of the coral reef cores dated by Hsia and others (2024a,b). This data release provides metadata about the location of the cores and summarizes the relative composition of coral taxa and other carbonates and the water depths (relative to modern mean sea level) of the analyzed core intervals. The data release also provides a summary of previously unpublished data (collected by David Weinstein) on the relative composition of an older Late Pleistocene reef (growing ~130–116 thousand years before present; MIS5e) from the subaerially exposed fossil reef at Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological Park. These data are compared with Holocene and modern coral-reef assemblages on the FKRT in Toth and others (2025).

Holocene-aged coral samples from the south Florida region were extensively characterized to create a new database of verified sea-level data. The samples were originally collected using coral-reef coring or other geologic sampling methods and were obtained by various researchers from published studies spanning the interval of 1977 to 2017. Many of these samples are presently stored in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Core Archive at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (https://doi.org/10.5066/F7319TR3). USGS staff compiled all relevant information from publications pertaining to each sample and then, if the samples were available in the USGS Core Archive, researchers performed visual analyses to characterize the taphonomic condition and to determine if samples were in situ (growth position). Samples were then assigned a rank (from 0-3, with 0 being the highest rank) to indicate their quality and reliability for use as sea-level indicators based on a combination of the information from the publications and the results of the analyses. This research is a part of the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/).

Holocene-aged coral samples from the south Florida region were extensively characterized to create a new database of verified sea-level data. The samples were originally collected using coral-reef coring or other geologic sampling methods and were obtained by various researchers from published studies spanning the interval of 1977 to 2017. Many of these samples are presently stored in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Core Archive at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (https://doi.org/10.5066/F7319TR3). USGS staff compiled all relevant information from publications pertaining to each sample and then, if the samples were available in the USGS Core Archive, researchers performed visual analyses to characterize the taphonomic condition and to determine if samples were in situ (growth position). Samples were then assigned a rank (from 0-3, with 0 being the highest rank) to indicate their quality and reliability for use as sea-level indicators based on a combination of the information from the publications and the results of the analyses. This research is a part of the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/).

This data release compiles descriptive information (location, water depth, etc.) and radiometric ages from corals collected through the Southeast Florida Continental Reef Tract (SFCRT; Figure 1). The database includes data from studies published between 1977 and 2015 as well as previously unpublished data. The samples were originally collected using coral-reef coring or other geologic sampling methods. Many of the samples are presently stored in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Core Archive at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (https://doi.org/10.5066/F7319TR3). This research is a part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/).

This data release compiles descriptive information (location, water depth, etc.) and radiometric ages from corals collected through the Southeast Florida Continental Reef Tract (SFCRT; Figure 1). The database includes data from studies published between 1977 and 2015 as well as previously unpublished data. The samples were originally collected using coral-reef coring or other geologic sampling methods. Many of the samples are presently stored in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Core Archive at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (https://doi.org/10.5066/F7319TR3). This research is a part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coral Reef Ecosystem Studies Project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/).

This data release compiles radiometric data, photographs, and descriptive collection information (location, elevation, etc.) for late Holocene sub-fossil Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis coral samples collected from the coral reefs of Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida (DRTO) from 2015 to 2023. The samples were collected under scientific research permits from the U.S. National Park Service and all samples are currently recorded in the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center’s (USGS SPCMSC) Geologic Core and Sample Database (Williams and others, 2013) and archived at the center’s Core Archive.

This data release compiles radiometric data, photographs, and descriptive collection information (location, elevation, etc.) for late Holocene sub-fossil Acropora palmata and A. cervicornis coral samples collected from the coral reefs of Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida (DRTO) from 2015 to 2023. The samples were collected under scientific research permits from the U.S. National Park Service and all samples are currently recorded in the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center’s (USGS SPCMSC) Geologic Core and Sample Database (Williams and others, 2013) and archived at the center’s Core Archive.

This data release contains time-series photographs taken of corals and coral habitats in the Florida Keys between 1959 and 2015 at Carysfort Reef and Grecian Rocks (a total of six sites). The original intent was to show coral reef recovery after Hurricane Donna devastated the area in 1960. Corals, especially elkhorn and staghorn coral, grew prolifically after the storm until the late 1970s, then began to decline, with the maximum period of decline centered around 1983 and 1984. These time-series photographs, showing the same individual coral colonies year after year, document the decline in coral health observed at these locations, mirroring patterns seen region-wide across the western Atlantic. A selection of the photographs was previously published (in low resolution) in Lidz and others (2006), wherein findings and conclusions related to these data were discussed. Lidz, B. H., Reich, C. D., Peterson, R. L., and Shinn, E. A. (2006). New maps, new information: Coral reefs of the Florida Keys. Journal of Coastal Research, 22(2), 260-282, https://doi.org/10.2112/05A-0023.1