Data for this project resides in the West Coast Groundfish Bottom Trawl Survey Database. Deep-sea corals are often components of trawling bycatch, though their brittle skeleton and slow growth make them particularly vulnerable to such impacts. An understanding of the population structure of deep-sea corals will be critical to ascertaining the effects of habitat loss and genetic connections between distant populations, both of which are important to the 2006 Magnuson-Stevens Act directive and the NMFS federal mandate. An initial species inventory of deep-sea corals off the United States coastline is a necessary first step toward a comprehensive understanding of the ecology and distribution of this diverse species assemblage. Quantifying species distributions from bycatch data and fisheries independent surveys requires accurate species-level identifications of the corals found in tows; however, the taxonomic identification of corals to the species level is often problematic. In some cases morphologically similar specimens may only be distinguished from one another using microscopic skeletal structures. In other cases, the taxonomic delineations of some families are so confused that accurate species-level designations are currently impossible. The use of genetic information combined with morphology is likely the best approach to decipher evolutionary patterns in these species. A collection of genetic barcodes for all verified voucher specimens of deep sea corals in our collections. Also includes SEM images for some species.

This dataset is a point shapefile showing the distribution of species richness, Shannon's Diversity (H), and Shannon's Evennes (J) along the Florida Keys (Key Biscayne to Key West based on data collected from 1980 through 2010. Point estimates of species richness, Shannon's diversity (H), and Evenness were derived from Reef Visual Census (RVC) Surveys. RVC surveys were conducted using a cooperative multi-agency Reef Fish Monitoring Protocol for the Florida Keys Coral Reef Ecosystem (Menza et al., 2006; Brandt et al., 2009). Data on fish occurence and abundance were collcted using a 200-m x 200-m polygon grid developed by The University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM-RSMAS) and the National Marine Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center (NFMS-SEFSC). The grid forms the basis for a two-stage stratified random sampling allocation scheme that was developed to estimate important metrics for living resource populations (e.g., corals and reef fishes) in Southwest Florida, extending from Martin County in the northeast through the Florida Keys to the Dry Tortugas in the southwest (Jeffrey et al., 2012; Ault et al., In Press).

Several parameters were used to assess coral bleaching in the Florida Keys as part of NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The data described in this package are light, seawater pH, and coral symbiont assemblage data collected from the upper and lower Florida Keys. Light data was collected using a PAR sensor which measures light as photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, umol m-2 s-1). Seawater pH was collected using a SAMI pH sensor or a SeaBird SeaFET pH sensor. These sensors were located at the same sites as the PAR sensors and recorded pH hourly. During peak bleaching (22-25 September 2015), 20 colonies of O. faveolata were sampled with a hammer and chisel from 10 sites (n=200 total coral samples). All corals were sampled from the top of the colony given that symbiont types can change with colony orientation. A small subsample was immediately preserved in 95% ethanol for genetic analysis. Genomic DNA was extracted using the organic extraction protocol described in Rowan and Power (1991). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays were used to understand patterns of algal symbiont community structure to detect the presence of background symbiont types. Zooxanthellae type and abundance data are described in this package to understand the relationship between O. faveolata and Symbiodinium to assess coral bleaching responses. Symbiont assemblages in the data set are described by clades A, B, C and D since O. faveolata has been shown to associate with members from all these clades.

This dataset contains a unified GeoTiff with 30x30 meter cell size representing the bathymetry of several deep coral priority areas off the South Atlantic Bight, derived from data collected in 2003. NOAA's NOS/NCCOS/CCMA Biogeography Branch, in collaboration with the College of Charleston, as well as the United State Navy Ship Pathfinder (USNS) , and private sector partners, acquired multibeam bathymetry data off the South Atlantic Bight from 06/14/03 to 07/6/03. Data was acquired with a hull-mounted Kongsberg Simrad EM 1002 multibeam echosounder (95 kHz). It was processed by the College of Charleston Department of Geology using CARIS HIPS software. Data has all correctors applied (attitude, sound velocity) and has been reduced to mean lower low water (MLLW) using final approved tides and zoning from NOAA COOPS. Data is in UTM Zone 17 north, datum NAD83. The processed CARIS data was used to generate a CARIS BASE surface based on swath angle. The CARIS Export option "BASE Surface to Image" was then used to create a GeoTiff of the priority areas. The backscatter component of the bathymetry data were geometrically and radiometrically corrected using Fledermaus FMGT software. Acoustic backscatter mosaics are ostensibly an important piece of information when characterizing surficial seafloor features and delineating benthic habitats.

This data set is an ArcView shapefile set that contains locations of sampled coral reef fish species at the National Marine Sanctuary along the Florida Keys. The dataset contains information about 5 classes of coral reefs, 216 fish species, and 6 benthic habitat. The data were collected from 1997.

This data set is an ArcView shapefile set that contains locations of sampled coral reef fish species at the National Marine Sanctuary along the Florida Keys. The dataset contains information about 5 classes of coral reefs, 216 fish species, and 6 benthic habitat. The data were collected from 1984.

This archived Paleoclimatology Study is available from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), under the World Data Service (WDS) for Paleoclimatology. The associated NCEI study type is Coral. The data include parameters of corals and sclerosponges with a geographic location of Bermuda, North Atlantic Ocean. The time period coverage is from 175 to -46 in calendar years before present (BP). See metadata information for parameter and study location details. Please cite this study when using the data.

This data set is an ArcView shapefile set that contains locations of sampled coral reef fish species at the National Marine Sanctuary along the Florida Keys. The dataset contains information about 5 classes of coral reefs, 216 fish species, and 6 benthic habitat. The data were collected from 1979.

These data contains video of fish surveys conducted by divers in the black coral beds off of Lahaina Maui.

This data set is an ArcView shapefile set that contains locations of sampled coral reef fish species at the National Marine Sanctuary along the Florida Keys. The dataset contains information about 5 classes of coral reefs, 216 fish species, and 6 benthic habitat. The data were collected from 1982.