2019 Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Long-Term Monitoring of the Reef Crest and Mesophotic Benthic and Fish Communities of Stetson Bank, northwestern Gulf of Mexico (NCEI Accession 0294276)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: January 29, 2026 | Last Modified: 2024-11-12T00:00:00.000+00:00

This dataset contains raw and processed data from an annual long-term monitoring study that documents the benthic and fish community changes at Stetson Bank, in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Bank crest monitoring includes random transect and repetitive photostation photographs of the benthos to estimate percent cover of major taxonomic groups (e.g., coral, sponge, algae). Benthic photographs are analyzed using Coral Point Count (CPCe) and output into Microsoft Excel worksheets. Fish census surveys are conducted annually using a modified Bohnsack and Bannerot stationary method, both at random and repetitive sites. Fish data are recorded in Microsoft Excel worksheets. Water quality parameters (e.g., temperature, salinity, turbidity, nutrients) are measured with moored conductivity temperature depth (CTD) instruments and quarterly profiles of the water column are performed. Temperature and salinity data are reduced to report daily averages. In 2015, monitoring efforts were expanded to include the deeper mesophotic habitat (34-64 m) surrounding the bank crest using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Mesophotic monitoring includes random transect and repetitive photostation photographs of the benthos to estimate percent cover of major taxonomic groups (e.g., coral, sponge, algae). Repetitive photostation images are only assessed using qualitative summaries of key species identified in 2015 during installation. Random transect photographs are analyzed using Coral Point Count (CPCe) and output into Microsoft Excel worksheets. Fish census surveys are conducted annually in conjunction with benthic transect surveys. Fish data are recorded in Microsoft Excel worksheets. The bank crest benthic community at Stetson Bank has undergone several significant shifts, changing from a habitat predominated by hydrocoral and sponges to one of macroalgae and sponges. The fish community on the bank crest has varied annually. Exotic fish species are present at the bank, including lionfish (Pterois volitans/P. miles) and regal demoiselle (Neopomacentrus cyanomos). Fluctuations in oceanic conditions, macroalgae cover, and continued annual variation in fish communities were documented.

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NCEI Dataset Landing Page

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Descriptive Information

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https://nmsflowergarden.blob.core.windows.net/flowergarden-prod/media/archive/doc/reports/2019researchreport.pdf

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GCMD Keyword Forum Page

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NCEI Contact Information

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Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) website

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@type	dcat:Dataset
accessLevel	non-public
contactPoint	{ "fn": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information", "@type": "vcard:Contact", "hasEmail": "mailto:ncei.info@noaa.gov" }
describedByType	application/octet-steam
description	This dataset contains raw and processed data from an annual long-term monitoring study that documents the benthic and fish community changes at Stetson Bank, in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Bank crest monitoring includes random transect and repetitive photostation photographs of the benthos to estimate percent cover of major taxonomic groups (e.g., coral, sponge, algae). Benthic photographs are analyzed using Coral Point Count (CPCe) and output into Microsoft Excel worksheets. Fish census surveys are conducted annually using a modified Bohnsack and Bannerot stationary method, both at random and repetitive sites. Fish data are recorded in Microsoft Excel worksheets. Water quality parameters (e.g., temperature, salinity, turbidity, nutrients) are measured with moored conductivity temperature depth (CTD) instruments and quarterly profiles of the water column are performed. Temperature and salinity data are reduced to report daily averages. In 2015, monitoring efforts were expanded to include the deeper mesophotic habitat (34-64 m) surrounding the bank crest using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Mesophotic monitoring includes random transect and repetitive photostation photographs of the benthos to estimate percent cover of major taxonomic groups (e.g., coral, sponge, algae). Repetitive photostation images are only assessed using qualitative summaries of key species identified in 2015 during installation. Random transect photographs are analyzed using Coral Point Count (CPCe) and output into Microsoft Excel worksheets. Fish census surveys are conducted annually in conjunction with benthic transect surveys. Fish data are recorded in Microsoft Excel worksheets. The bank crest benthic community at Stetson Bank has undergone several significant shifts, changing from a habitat predominated by hydrocoral and sponges to one of macroalgae and sponges. The fish community on the bank crest has varied annually. Exotic fish species are present at the bank, including lionfish (Pterois volitans/P. miles) and regal demoiselle (Neopomacentrus cyanomos). Fluctuations in oceanic conditions, macroalgae cover, and continued annual variation in fish communities were documented.
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identifier	gov.noaa.nodc:0294276
issued	2024-06-24T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword	[ "0294276", "AMMONIA (NH3)", "ARAGONITE SATURATION STATE", "BENTHIC SPECIES", "CARBON - CARBONATE", "CHLOROPHYLL A", "CORAL", "CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION", "DISSOLVED INORGANIC CARBON (DIC)", "FISH SPECIES", "FISHERY SURVEY", "NITRATE", "NITROGEN", "NUTRIENTS", "partial pressure of carbon dioxide - water", "pH", "SALINITY", "species abundance", "SPECIES IDENTIFICATION", "SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - COUNT", "SPONGE SPECIES IDENTIFICATION", "total alkalinity", "TOTAL PHOSPHORUS", "Video Transect Images", "WATER TEMPERATURE", "CTD", "CTD - moored CTD", "photograph", "swimmer/diver", "temperature sensor", "turbidity sensor", "video camera", "in situ", "laboratory analyses", "Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary", "Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary", "LONG TERM MONITORING EAST-WEST FLOWER GARDEN BANKS", "Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary", "Gulf of Mexico", "oceanography", "DOC/NOAA/NOS/NMS > National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce", "EARTH SCIENCE > AGRICULTURE > AGRICULTURAL AQUATIC SCIENCES > FISHERIES", "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES > SPONGES", "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH", "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > ALKALINITY", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > AMMONIA", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > CARBON DIOXIDE", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > CARBONATE", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > CHLOROPHYLL", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > INORGANIC CARBON", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > NITRATE", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > NITROGEN", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > NUTRIENTS", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > PH", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN TEMPERATURE > WATER TEMPERATURE", "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SALINITY/DENSITY > SALINITY", "EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES > COASTAL LANDFORMS > CORAL REEFS", "EARTH SCIENCE > SPECTRAL/ENGINEERING > VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS > VISIBLE IMAGERY", "BENTHIC SPECIES (MESOPHOTIC RANDOM TRANSECT)", "BENTHIC SPECIES (MESOPHOTIC REPETITIVE PHOTOSTATIONS)", "BENTHIC SPECIES (REEF CREST RANDOM TRANSECT)", "BENTHIC SPECIES (REEF CREST REPETITIVE PHOTOSTATIONS)", "BENTHIC SPECIES - TAXA COUNTS (URCHIN AND LOBSTER REEF CREST)", "FISH CENSUS (MESOPHOTIC)", "FISH CENSUS (REEF CREST)", "Video Transect", "WATER QUALITY (MOORED)", "WATER QUALITY (PROFILES)", "WATER QUALITY (SAMPLES)", "CTD > Conductivity, Temperature, Depth", "TEMPERATURE SENSORS > TEMPERATURE SENSORS", "TURBIDITY METERS > TURBIDITY METERS", "VIDEO CAMERA > VIDEO CAMERA", "R/V Manta", "OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA", "OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF MEXICO", "Northwest Gulf of Mexico", "Stetson Bank", "J9ND1A" ]
landingPage	https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
language	[]
license	https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified	2024-11-12T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher	{ "name": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information", "@type": "org:Organization" }
references	[ "https://nmsflowergarden.blob.core.windows.net/flowergarden-prod/media/archive/doc/reports/2019researchreport.pdf" ]
rights	otherRestrictions
spatial	-94.29,28.15,-94.31,28.17
temporal	2019-01-01T00:00:00+00:00/2019-12-31T00:00:00+00:00
title	2019 Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Long-Term Monitoring of the Reef Crest and Mesophotic Benthic and Fish Communities of Stetson Bank, northwestern Gulf of Mexico (NCEI Accession 0294276)

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