Florida
Florida is the only state in the continental United States to have extensive shallow coral reef formations near its coasts. These reefs extend from near Stuart in Martin County on the Atlantic coast, to the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico. The most prolific reef development occurs seaward of the Florida Keys. The most extensive living coral reef in the United States is adjacent to the island chain of the Florida Keys. The Florida Reef Tract which extends from Soldier Key, located in Biscayne Bay, to the Tortugas Banks possesses coral formations very similar to those found in the Bahamas and Caribbean Sea. The Florida Reef Tract is nearly 150 miles long and about 4 miles wide extending to the edge of the Florida Straits. It is the third largest barrier reef ecosystem in the world. All but the northern-most extent of the reef tract lies within the boundaries of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The 2,800 square nautical mile Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), designated in 1992, surrounds the entire archipelago of the Florida Keys and includes the productive waters of Florida Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Discontinuous and less biologically diverse coral reef communities continue northward along western Florida shores to the Florida Middle Grounds, a series of submerged pinnacles rising to within 60-80 ft of the surface, about 100 miles northwest of St. Petersburg.
In addition to local residents, millions of vacationers come to Florida in order to enjoy scuba diving, snorkeling, and fishing on south Florida's coral reefs. These activities provide a great source of income for Florida and its coastal communities. It is estimated that coral reef activities in Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties generate $3.4 billion in sales in general and income and support 36,000 jobs in the region each year.
Florida location map
Florida satellite map
State of The Reefs report (SOTR)
The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2008 (Florida Keys).
The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2008 (Southeast Florida).
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 Florida metadata, data and publications
Reef Base Coral Bleaching Reports
Select "U.S. Caribbean" in the Region window and " Florida (USA)" in the Country window
Real Time and Near-Real Time Monitoring Data
Oceanographic instruments, maintained by the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) at National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) and National Weather Service (NWS) Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations, continuously collect oceanographic data at key coral reef areas in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. These data, along with meteorological data collected for NDBC and NWS, are sent via satellite link to a data archival facility, where the CHAMP collects them once a day. These data are reformatted for daily posting on NOAA's Coral Health and monitoring Program (CHAMP) Home Page.
NOAA’s Coral Health and Monitoring Program (CHAMP)
SEAKEYS/ C-MAN Project
NOAA's Integrated Coral Observing Network (ICON)
Fowey Rocks, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Long Key, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Molasses Reef, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Pulaski Shoals Light, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Sand Key, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Sombrero Key, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Moored ADCP station off Looe Key, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Moser Channel mooring, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Conch Reef mooring, Aquarius Habitat, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Conch Reef Oceanographic Monitoring Station and time-series data
Carysfort Reef, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
SECREMP monitoring site DC1, Miami-Dade County, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site DC2, Miami-Dade County, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site DC3, Miami-Dade County, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site BC1, Broward County, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site BC2, Broward County, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site BC3, Broward County, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site BCA, Broward County, Florida
FACE monitoring site GSR-S, Gulfstream Reef, Florida
FACE monitoring site GSR-N, Gulfstream Reef, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site PB1, Palm Beach County, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site PB2, Palm Beach County, Florida
SECREMP monitoring site PB3, Palm Beach County, Florida
Smithsonian Marine Station, Indian River Lagoon, Ft. Pierce, Florida
FACE monitoring site, Miami-Central, Florida
FACE monitoring site, Miami-North, Florida
FACE monitoring site, Broward County, Florida
FACE monitoring site, Hollywood, Florida
FACE monitoring site, Delray Beach, Florida
Sebastian Inlet jetty, Sebastian, Florida
National Data Buoy Center Station MLRF1 - Molasses Reef, Fl
NOAA Coral Reef Watch: Florida Coral Bleaching Data Products
NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch (for coral bleaching, bleaching hotspots, SST data, degree-heating weeks, and more)
Conch Reef Oceanographic Monitoring Station and time-series data
Other Data & Information
Benthic Habitat Mapping of Florida Coral Reef Ecosystems
Mapping Southern Florida’s Shallow-water Coral Reef Ecosystems: An implementation Plan
The Florida Keys Coral Reef Monitoring Project
Education and Outreach
Coral Reef Information for Teachers and Students
Reef Relief Home Page
Reef Relief Coral reef ecosystem
Key West Marine Park
Restoration Workshop
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Florida’s Coral Reefs
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative
Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative – Land-based Sources of Pollution
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
The Pennekamp Page
South Florida Information Access (SOFIA)
South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) Metadata
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
South Florida Water Management District
University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
The South Florida and Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (SFC CESU)
University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science National Center for Coral Reef Research (NCORE)
Florida Institute of Oceanography
Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges (Florida)
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
Key West National Wildlife Refuge
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
National Key Deer Refuge
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge
NOAA Ocean Service Education on Corals
NOAA Ocean Service Education Roadmap to corals Resources
NOAA’s Aquarius – The World’s Only Undersea Research Station
Marine Protected Areas/ Marine Managed Areas
National Marine Fisheries Service Inventory of Marine Managed Areas
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf, and South Atlantic
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 2February 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
Canmarine “protected” areas be effective?
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Florida Middle Grounds Habitat Area of Particular Concern
Florida Middle Grounds Habitat Area of Particular Concern
Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary Outstanding Florida Water
Key West National Wildlife Refuge
Marine Protected Areas in the Gulf of Mexico: A Survey
Marine Protected Areas of the United States: Online Regional Information Centers
Reef Fish Longline and Buoy Gear Restricted Area
Reef Fish Stressed Area
A Review of Gulf of Mexico Marine Protected Areas
Tortugas Ecological Reserve
Virginia Key No Entry Zone
Welcome to the Marine Protected Areas group page
Highlights and Press Releases
Florida Corals Designated as Sensitive Sea Area
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