NEPR Principle Component Analysis - NOAA TIFF Image

This GeoTiff is a representation of seafloor topography in Northeast Puerto Rico derived from a bathymetry model with a principle component analysis (PCA). The area covered includes the shallow water area (0-60m deep) of the Northeast Ecological Reserves: including the waters off of Fajardo and Luqillo, to the Former Roosevelt Roads Navy Base, the Vieques Sound, La Cordillera Reserve, the Luis Pena Reserve, and the waters around Culebra Island. The PCA image was created using Envi 5.1, and is based on nine morphometric derivatives of the bathymetry, such as slope, curvature and rugosity. The bathymetry model was created by integrating soundings from several different sources (1900-2013), including high resolution coastal LiDAR, NOAA Single-beam and multibeam bathymetry, and historical lead line soundings, into a multi resolution (4m, 20m, 100m) depth model. The PCA image was used to delineate the different shallow water benthic habitats of NEPR.

The PCA, multibeam bathymetry, WorldView-2 Satellite imagery and ground validation imagery were used to create benthic habitat maps, helping NOAA meet its mapping commitment to the US Coral Reef Task Force. The resulting publicly-distributed data is also a contribution to the greater scientific community interested in the Caribbean seafloor. The spatial products developed from this bathymetry model will: (1) inform local managers as to the current distribution of resources, (2) provide a point of comparison for past and future mapping efforts, (3) help locate sensitive marine communities, and (4) guide monitoring efforts and prioritize management actions.

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These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.

Please cite any use of this data.

Note: NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION. These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.

Microsoft Windows 7; ESRI ArcCatalog 10.1

See NOAA Technical Memorandum: Benthic Habitats of Northeast Puerto Rico and Culebra Island

See NOAA Technical Memorandum: Benthic Habitats of Northeast Puerto Rico and Culebra Island

This geotiff was created by integrating all of the available bathymetry sources downloaded from NGDC 2013, and included data from different time periods (1900-2013), remote sensing platforms, and spatial resolutions within the area of interest.

All users should independently analyze the dataset according to their own needs and standards to determine data usability.