gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:24266 eng UTF8 dataset Files Southeast Fisheries Science Center (305)361-5761 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA www.sefsc.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Website Website for this organization information 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST resourceProvider Burton, Michael 252-728-8756 252-728-8784 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort NC 28516-9722 Michael.Burton@noaa.gov pointOfContact 2026-03-04T19:17:18 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) Habitat characterization of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve south using photographic and quadrat methods Habitat characterization of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve south 2012 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 24266 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/24266 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information Southeast Fisheries Science Center (305)361-5761 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southeast-fisheries-science-center WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Southeast Fisheries Science Center Website About SEFSC information 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST originator tableDigital We supply habitat characterization data along a single randomly oriented transect at each of 16 sampling stations in the Tortugas South Ecological Reserve. This information is collected from multiple stations on an intermittent or biennial basis. Collection of habitat type data for the characterization of habitat within marine protected areas and spawning aggregation sites in the Tortugas Ecological Reserves underDevelopment Burton, Michael 252-728-8756 252-728-8784 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort NC 28516-9722 Michael.Burton@noaa.gov pointOfContact Burton, Michael 252-728-8756 252-728-8784 101 Pivers Island Road Beaufort NC 28516-9722 Michael.Burton@noaa.gov custodian annually Numeric Data Sets > Habitats theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat > Description EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Hard Coral Cover EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > OctoCoral Cover EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Marine Protected Areas theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Florida > Monroe County > Dry Tortugas (24N082W0001) OCEAN BASIN > Atlantic Ocean > North Atlantic Ocean > Florida Reef Tract > Dry Tortugas > Dry Tortugas (24N082W0001) place CoRIS Place Thesaurus DOC/NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC > Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce dataCentre Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords 2017-04-24 publication 8.5 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian Fisheries Biology and Ecology project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Southeast Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Habitat characterization of the Tortugas Ecological Reserve south using photographic and quadrat methods [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/24266. NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose. otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None otherRestrictions Use Constraints: None otherRestrictions Distribution Liability: These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA can not assume liability for and damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system. unclassified Assess/monitor effects of MPA status on reef fish populations and spawning aggregations in the Tortugas Ecological Reserves NOAA/NMFS/EDM 24281 crossReference NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 24266 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/sefsc/dmp/pdf/24266.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. information crossReference eng; US environment oceans -83.15 -82.95 24.4833 24.7 Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary - Tortugas Ecological Reserve | Currentness: Ground Condition 2007 false eng false NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC/CCFHR Southeast Fisheries Science Center (305)361-5761 75 Virginia Beach Drive Miami FL 33149 USA https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southeast-fisheries-science-center WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Southeast Fisheries Science Center Website About SEFSC information 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST distributor https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/24266 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information dataset Completeness Report This data consists of habitat characterization surveys conducted in the offshore marine habitats of the Tortugas South Ecological Reserve of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary annually from 2007-2009, and again in 2011. Original station selections were made based on gross habitat characterizations made from echosounders/fathometers aboard a NOAA research vessel. Additional stations were added using knowledge and observations provided by local experienced fishermen used in the project Once in the field, the boat captain navigates to previously selected station locations using a GPS. On-site, divers are deployed on the exact station GPS numbers and maintain contact with each other throughout the entire dive. Upon arrival at the bottom, one diver is responsible for swimming out the 30 m transect tape along a predetermined random compass heading obtained from a data sheet. From 2007-2009, the procedure used was photographic transects done in the following manner: As this diver swims out the tape, the second diver takes photographs of the bottom around the tape, approximately 0.5m above the seafloor, with a digital camera in an underwater housing. The photographs are taken every 5 m along the tape (i.e., at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 m. When the first diver who swims out the tape gets to the end of the 30 m distance, he lays down the tape and swims back to the photographer and stays with him/her, as called for by the diver buddy system. Once the photographic transect is finished, diver #1 reels the tape back in, taking the two divers back to their starting point. Only one photographic transect is done per station. Images were analyzed later by determining the percentage of total area that belonged to each of four functional habitat types: coral, octocoral, sponge and macroalgae. In 2011, the procedure was changed from photographic transects to a quadrat characterization approach, completed as follows: Diver #1 swam out a 30 m transect tape as was done in previous years. Diver #2 followed behind, deploying a 0.25 m2 quadrat beside the transect tape at 0, 10, 20, and 30 m along the length of the tape. Total percent cover of abiotic substrate, defined as sand, hardbottom and rubble, was estimated within each quadrat. Biotic cover was estimated within four general functional habitat groups: coral, octocoral, sponge and macroalgae. Abiotic cover within each quadrat always totaled 100%, as the underlying substrate was quantified. Biotic cover did not necessarily total 100%, as there were often regions of uncolonized substrate. As time permitted, divers also recorded the dominant species within each quadrat to the finest taxonomic level. The habitat is never altered in any manner by lifting or moving structure, and the photographer made every effort in the early years to include the measuring tape in the photograph, as it is an aid to estimating the amount of total area in the image. Sometimes it is necessary for the photographer to turn the tape over so that the measuring marks appear in the photograph. On-site, no attempt to avoid structural features within a habitat such as a sand patch or large coral head should be made as these are real component of the habitats. The only instance when the transect should deviate from the designated path is to stay above 130 ft (limitations imposed by diving). The typical photographic transect should take only approximately 15 minutes regardless of habitat type, and the typical quadrat transect should take approximately 20 minutes.