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Puerto Rico

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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.

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Satellite Image

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

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

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

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