Florida Keys Monitoring Inventory

The monitoring projects in the following inventory take place in or around Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Projects are conducted by either Sanctuary staff or by our partners. Summary information is presented for each.

For more information about the monitoring activities at Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, please click here, and review the Sanctuary Condition Report.

Contact the research coordinator at the Sanctuary for additional information.

Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project (CREMP)

Lead	Rob Ruzika (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
Objective	Monitor fixed coral reef and hard-bottom stations for coral diversity, cover, diseases, boring sponges, and other parameters.

Method

Visual surveys along fixed transects for some parameters; analyze video frames for percent coral cover and other parameters.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1996 - present	Annual

Links	http://ocean.floridamarine.org/FKNMS_WQPP/
Partners	Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Keyword(s)	coral, disease, sponges

Water Quality Monitoring Project

Lead	Dr. Henry Briceño
Objective	Monitor a wide range of water quality parameters (nutrients, salinity, turbidity, and phytoplankton biomass) within the sanctuary.

Method

Trends in water quality are monitored at 154 fixed stations from Key Largo to the Dry Tortuga, and collection of samples sent for lab analyses. Project is part of a larger south Florida effort including Florida Bay, part of southwest Florida shelf, and other coastal waters.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1995 - present	Quarterly

Links	http://ocean.floridamarine.org/FKNMS_WQPP/
	http://serc.fiu.edu/wqmnetwork/FKNMS-CD/index
Partners	Florida International University
Keyword(s)	nutrients, salinity, turbidity, phytoplankton biomass

Seagrass Monitoring Project

Lead	Dr. James W. Fourqurean (Southeast Environmental Research Center)
Objective	Monitor distribution and abundance of seagrass species as well as demography and production.

Method

Assess trends in seagrass communities through long-term sampling at a few fixed sites; also monitor broader seagrass populations through less-intensive, one-time sampling at randomly selected locations within the sanctuary.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1997 - present	Quarterly for fixed stations, annual for random stations

Links	http://ocean.floridamarine.org/FKNMS_WQPP
Partners	Florida International University
Keyword(s)	seagrass, water temperature, photosynthetic active radiation, depth, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen

Rapid Assessment and Monitoring of Coral Reef Habitats

Lead	Dr. Steven L. Miller, Mark Chiappone (NOVA Southeastern University, University of North Carolina at Wilmington)
Objective	Surveys of coral community structure and associated organisms for comparisons between fully protected marine zones and reference sites.

Method

Visual surveys of belt transects by divers.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1998 - present	Annual

Links	http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/research_monitoring/rapid
Partners	Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Keyword(s)	coral, no-take zones, community structure

Reef Fish Monitoring

Lead	NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
Objective	Survey reef fish populations for comparisons between fully protected marine zones and reference sites.

Method

Visual surveys by stationary divers.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1979 - present	Annual

Links	http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/species/fish/reef
	http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/species/fish/DailyUpdate
Partners	Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, United States National Park Service
Keyword(s)	reef fish, population, no-take zones

Volunteer Reef Fish Monitoring

Lead	Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Objective	Survey reef fish populations for comparisons between fully protected marine zones and reference sites.

Method

Visual surveys by stationary divers.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1994 - present	Annual

Links	www.REEF.org
	http://reef.org/programs/monitoring#FKNMS
Partners	NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Keyword(s)	reef fish, population, no-take zones

Spiny Lobster Monitoring

Lead	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Objective	Survey spiny lobster populations for comparisons between fully protected marine zones and reference sites.

Method

Visual surveys by roving divers.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1997 - present	Annual

Links	http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/crustaceans
	http://research.myfwc.com/engine/download
Partners	Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Keyword(s)	spiny lobster, no-take zones

Queen Conch Monitoring

Lead	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Objective	Survey queen conch aggregations to monitor stock recovery.

Method

Visual surveys of belt transects or total counts.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1997 - present	Annual

Links	http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/
Partners	Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy
Keyword(s)	queen conch, aggregations, population, recovery

South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Program

Lead	U.S. DOI Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives
Objective	Survey physical and water quality parameters across Florida Bay, part of the Southwest Florida Shelf, and part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Method

Water quality data is collected via an array of instruments and sensors distributed throughout the system.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1995 - present	Bi-monthly (monthly in Florida Bay)

Links	http://www.sfrestore.org/
Partners	NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
Keyword(s)	water quality

Florida Reef Resilience Program

Lead	The Nature Conservancy
Objective	The Florida Reef Resilience Program (FRRP) is a collaborative effort among managers, scientists, conservation organizations and reef users to develop resilience-based management strategies for coping with ocean warming and other stresses on Florida's coral reefs.

Method

Information Not Available

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	Information Not Available	Information Not Available

Links	http://FRRP.org
Partners	Information Not Available
Keyword(s)	Information Not Available

Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS)

Lead	Dr. Rusty Brainard (NOAA's PIFSC - CRED)
Objective	ARMS deployments within the FKNMS will lead to a better understanding of global patterns of biodiversity of largely understudied marine organisms. In addition the ARMS can provide a baseline of cryptic invertebrate biodiversity which can be used to monitor changes over time in response to climate change and ocean acidification.

Method

Information Not Available

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	Information Not Available	Information Not Available

Links	http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/arms.php
Partners	Information Not Available
Keyword(s)	Information Not Available

Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-bed Project (AOAT) - Moored Autonomous pCO2 (MAPCO2) Buoy

Lead	Dr. Dwight Gledhill
Objective	Information Not Available

Method

Information Not Available

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	Information Not Available	Information Not Available

Links	http://www.coral.noaa.gov/research/climate-change/
Partners	Information Not Available
Keyword(s)	Information Not Available

Marine Ecosystem Event Response and Assessment (MEERA) Program

Lead	Cory Walter, Tropical Research Laboratory
Objective	This project is designed to provide early detection and assessment of biological events occurring in the Florida Keys and surrounding waters. The goal of the project is to help the scientific community better understand the nature and causes of marine events that adversely affect marine organisms, and assist ongoing research efforts to assess and monitor events as they develop.

Method

Specially trained volunteers known as the Florida Keys "BleachWatch" observers collect field observations to monitor for signs of coral bleaching.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	2000 to present	Monthly

Links	http://isurus.mote.org/Keys/meera.phtml
Partners	Mote Marine Laboratory
Keyword(s)	seagrass, coral reef, fish kills, red tide, die off, observation, volunteer, Florida Keys

Bleach Watch

Lead	Erich Bartels and Cory Walter, Tropical Research Laboratory
Objective	Information from NOAA's remote sensing and in-situ environmental monitoring analysis are combined with "BleachWatch" volunteer observations in the field to provide a comprehensive overview of "current conditions" throughout the FKNMS.

Method

Volunteer-based in-situ data collection.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	2005 to present	Seasonal

Links	http://isurus.mote.org/Keys/bleaching.phtml
Partners	Mote Marine Laboratory, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, FKNMS
Keyword(s)	coral reef, bleaching, coral disease, water temperature, volunteer, Florida Keys

Red Tide and Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring

Lead	Erich Bartels and Cory Walter, Tropical Research Laboratory
Objective	Respond to reports of possible "red tides" throughout the Keys to verify the presence of K. brevis and, if present, determine cell concentrations, as well as to collect samples for cell culture and toxicology studies.

Method

Network of volunteer "Marine Observers" who maintain a watch for and report discolored water or fish kills.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	2000 to present	Seasonal

Links	http://isurus.mote.org/Keys/red_tide.phtml
	http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/hab/beach_conditions.html
Partners	Mote Marine Laboratory, FWC Florida Wildlife Research Institute, NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
Keyword(s)	coral reef, red tide, fish kill, volunteer, Florida Keys

Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN)

Lead

NOAA's National Data Buoy Center

Objective

The Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) was established by NDBC for the NWS in the early 1980's. The development of C-MAN was in response to a need to maintain meteorological observations in U.S. coastal areas. Such observations, which had been made previously by USCG personnel, would have been lost as many USCG navigational aids were automated under the Lighthouse Automation and Modernization Program (LAMPS). In all, approximately 60 stations make up C-MAN.

Method

C-MAN station data typically include barometric pressure, wind direction, speed and gust, and air temperature; however, some C-MAN stations are designed to also measure sea water temperature, water level, waves, relative humidity, precipitation, and visibility.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1988 to present	Hourly

Links	http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/Florida.shtml
	http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/data_menu.shtml
Partners	NOAA's National Data Buoy Center
Keyword(s)	lighthouse, meteorological payload, anemometer, temperature, air pressure, Florida Keys

National Water Level Observation Network (tide gauge)

Lead

NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)

Objective

The Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) of the National Ocean Service (NOS), an organizational element of NOAA, operates and maintains a network of approximately 200 long-term National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) stations as part of the National Water Level Program (NWLP) for the United States coast and in the Great Lakes. NWLON stations are the foundation for reference stations for NOAA's tide prediction products, and serve as controls in determining tidal datums for all short-term water-level stations.The data continuity, the vertical stability and careful referencing of NWLON stations have enabled the data to be used to estimate relative sea-level trends for the Nation.

Method

Data-collection platforms are capable of measuring other oceanographic parameters in addition to water levels, including meteorological parameters.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1913 to present	Every 6 minutes

Links	http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=kywf1
	http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/data_menu.shtml?
Partners	NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS)
Keyword(s)	coral reef, tide gauge, water level, Florida Keys, Key West

FKNMS Thermograph Project

Lead

FKNMS Science Coordinator

Objective

The purpose of this project is to document bottom seawater temperature in strategic areas of the Florida Reef Tract on a continuing basis and make that information available to management and research user groups. A total of 38 subsurface recording thermographs have been deployed in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) and at other selected locations on the Florida Reef Tract and associated hydrologic ecosystems.

Method

Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.* and Onset HOBO data logger recording thermographs are used, specifically models SBE-39 and U22-001, respectively.

Status	Duration	Frequency
Active	1988 to present	Annual

Links	Information Not Available
Partners	Information Not Available
Keyword(s)	Water temperature, thermograph, in-situ, coral reef, Florida Keys