Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is a volcanic island in the Greater Antilles located in the north central Caribbean between the U.S. Virgin Islands to the east and the island of Hispaniola to the west. It is an archipelago comprised of the main island, the islands of Mona, Monito, and Desecheo in the Mona Passage, Caja de Muertos Island on the south coast, Vieques Island, Culebra Island, and a series of smaller islets, the "Cordillera de Fajardo."
The land area of Puerto Rico is comprised of coastal lowlands, a mountainous interior, and a karst area in the north. The central mountain chain is oriented east to west, with most of the major rivers flowing toward the northern shore. Other major mountain ranges are located in the northeastern, southeastern and northwestern regions. The island has no natural lakes. The climate is tropical marine with average coastal temperatures of about 26o C (80°F), slightly cooler in the interior.
Puerto Rico is mostly surrounded by deep water. The Mona Passage, between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, is more than 1,000 meters deep. The Puerto Rico Trench (the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean), off the northern coast, is 8,500 meters deep, and from the southern coast, the ocean bottom descends to the Venezuelan Basin (5,000 meters).
Puerto Rico has a diversity of unique terrestrial and marine ecosystems including coastal mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs, tropical rain forests, tropical dry forests, and coastal plains. The archipelago harbors a diverse flora and fauna with a high level of endemism.
The island has a linear coastline of 620 km, surrounded by over 5,000 km2 of shallow coral reef ecosystems. High population density and land uses have resulted in harmful impacts to the coral reefs, by sedimentation, eutrophication, and pollution, further compounded by algal growth and overfishing. Coral bleaching, diseases, invasive species, and physical damage have also contributed to the declining health of the reefs. Overall, approximately 93 percent of Puerto Rico's coral reefs are rated as threatened, with 84 percent at high risk and therefore among the most threatened in the Caribbean.
Puerto Rico location map
Puerto Rico detail map
State of the Reefs Reports (SOTR)
The
State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely
Associated States: 2008.
The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely
Associated States: 2005.
The
State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely
Associated States: 2002.
Metadata, Data and Publications Search in CoRIS
Search the CoRIS Data & Publications Section for Puerto Rico metadata, data and publications.
ReefBase Coral Bleaching Reports
Select "U.S. Caribbean" in the region window and "Puerto Rico" in the Country window.
Near-real-time Data
CREWS Station Data Report - La Parguera, Puerto Rico
NOAA's Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON)
http://ecoforecast.coral.noaa.gov/
http://ecoforecast.coral.noaa.gov/index/0/
LPPR1/station-home
The Global Temperature-Salinity Profile Program
NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch Program
NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch: Satellite coral bleaching monitoring
NOAA Coral Reef Watch: SST/DHW Time Series and Satellite Bleaching Alerts
Coral Bleaching Indices: Degree HeatingWeeks
USGS Water Resources of the Caribbean: Real-Time Streamflow, Lake-Level and Rainfall Data for Puerto Rico
NOAA Tides and Currents
NOAA/National Weather Service
Real-time water data for Puerto Rico
Real-Time Water Data
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pr/nwis/rt
Real-time tracking of changes to rivers and streams within Puerto Rico
WaterWatch - Current Streamflow Conditions
Real-time tracking of flood conditions within Puerto Rico
Drought Watch
Real-time monitoring of the effects of droughts and other climate variability on ground-water levels within Puerto Rico
Ground Water—Climate Response Network
Real-time and historical earthquake information within Puerto Rico
Earthquake Activity
Key Documents
Organic Act of 1954
Puerto Rico Local Action Strategy
Other Publications
An Ecological Characterization of the Marine Resources of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Part I: Historical Data Synthesis
Education and Outreach
Caribbean Coral Reef institute
2008-2010 Puerto Rico Coral Management Fellowship Program (host agency is the PR Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) under its Bureau of Coasts, Reserves and Refuges (BCRR).
http://www.coralreef.noaa.gov/fellowship/pr_08-10.pdf
Department of Marine Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
http://cima.uprm.edu/magueyes.html
Marine Protected Areas/Marine Managed Areas
National Marine Fisheries Service Inventory of Marine Managed Areas
Report on the Status of Marine Protected Areas in Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States. Volume 1: Marine Protected Areas Managed by U.S. States, Territories, and Commonwealths. NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 2 February 2007
Marine Protected Areas of the United States Home Page
The Marine Protected Areas Inventory
Federal MPA Legislation
Marine Federal Areas Fact Sheet
Executive order 13158: Marine Protected Areas
MPA Virtual Library
Marine Protected Areas of the United States: Puerto Rico
Marine protected areas in Puerto Rico: Historical and current perspectives
Marine Managed Areas of the United States: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Digital Boundaries
Arrecifes de tourmaline Natural Reserve
Arrecifes de Guayama Natural Reserve
Arrecifes de la Cordillera Natural Reserve
Bahías Bioluminiscentes de Vieques Natural Reserve
Bosque Estatal de AguirreBosque Estatal de Ceiba Natural Reserve
Bosque Estatal de Guánica Natural Reserve
Bosque Estatal de Piñones Natural Reserve
Bosque Natural de Boquerón Natural Reserve
Cabezas de San Juan Natural Reserve
Cabo Rojo Salt Flats
Caja de Muertos Natural Reserve
Canal Luis Pena Natural Reserve
Cabezas de San Juan Natural Reserve
Cano Tiburones Natural Reserve
Cueva del Indio Natural Reserve
Culebra National Wildlife Refuge
Desecheo Natiopnal Wildlife Refuge
El Pantano, Bosque de Pterocarpus y Lagunas Mandry y Santa Teresa Natural Reserve
Hacienda La Esperanza Natural Reserve
Isla de Desecheo Marine Reserve
Isla de Mona Natural Reserve
Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
La Parguera Natural Reserve
Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge
Laguna Joyuda Natural Reserve
Pantano Cibuco Natural Reserve
Punta Guaniquilla Natural Reserve
Punta Petrona Natural Reserve
Punta Yeguas Natural Reserve
Red Hind Spawning Aggregation Areas West of Puerto Rico - Abrir La Sierra
Red Hind Spawning Aggregation Areas West of Puerto Rico - Bajo de Cico
Red Hind Spawning Aggregation Areas West of Puerto Rico - Tourmaline Bank
Rio Espíritu Santo Natural Reserve Natural
Tres Palmas de Rincon Marine Reserve
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge
Vieques National Wildlife Refuge
Marine protected areas in Puerto Rico
Puerto DRNA "Navega por el ambiente"
Puertorican Reefs: Research synthesis, present threats and management perspectives
World City Database-Puerto Rico (Map locations of some MMAs)
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf, and South Atlantic
Interesting Links
Status Of Coral Reefs in the U.S. Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico: Florida, Flower Garden Banks, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Navassa. In Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2004. Two volumes. Edited by Clive Wilkinson.
http://www.gcrmn.org/status2004.aspx
Marine Managed Areas Inventory Site Profile: La Parguera Natural Reserve
Puerto Rico- Source: 2007 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK and the Library of Congress Country Studies
U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) Region 2
Marine Protected Areas in Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico Sea Grant College Program
Puerto Rico Water Resources and Environmental Research Institute
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
Jobos Bay Reserve, Puerto Rico
http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov/JobosBay/
Jobos NERR - Facebook page
Welcome to Puerto Rico
Reefs at Risk – Puerto Rico
Welcome to Culebra
Investigating Coral Reef Ecosystems in Support of NASA’s Earth Science Program
Ocean and Coastal Management in Puerto Rico
Other Data
Benthic Habitat Mapping of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Reefkeeper Coral Reef Monitoring Data
NOAA Vieques Island Database and Mapping Project
USGS Coastal & Marine Geology InfoBank Regions (Puerto Rico) Data & Metadata
Coastal and Marine Ecosystems – Puerto Rico
2006 Tide data for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Lesser Antilles
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tides06/tab2ec4.html
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tides06/tab2ec4.html#116
USGS Water Resources of the Caribbean
Historical Climate Summaries for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Ultraviolet Monitoring Program: UV-Net
Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the United States
GEOID99 Data for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands: PC format
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands Earthquake Information
Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands Spatial Data Sets
Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands high resolution aerial imagery (1965-1999)
NOAA's National Ocean Service: NOS Data Explorer: What's new
Highlights and Press Releases
Major Coral Bleaching Event Expands Across Caribbean, Severe In Puerto Rico And U.S. Virgin Islands
US Geological Survey News Releases
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