Looe Key, Florida, 2004-2016 Seafloor Elevation Stability Models, Maps, and Tables

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) conducted research to identify areas of seafloor elevation stability and instability based on elevation changes between the years of 2004 and 2016 at Looe Key coral reef near Big Pine Key, Florida, within a 16.37 square-kilometer area. USGS SPCMSC staff used seafloor elevation-change data from Yates and others (2019) derived from an elevation-change analysis between two elevation datasets acquired in 2004 and 2016 using the methods of Yates and others (2017). A seafloor stability threshold was determined for the 2004-2016 Looe Key elevation-change dataset based on the vertical uncertainty of the 2004 and 2016 digital elevation models (DEMs). Five stability categories (which include, Stable: 0.0 meters (m) to plus/minus 0.24 m or 0.0 m to plus/minus 0.49 m; Moderately stable: plus/minus 0.25 m to plus/minus 0.49 m; Moderately unstable: plus/minus 0.50 m to plus/minus 0.74 m; Mostly unstable: plus/minus 0.75 m to plus/minus 0.99 m; and Unstable: plus/minus 1.00 m to Max/Min elevation change) were created and used to define levels of stability and instability for each elevation-change value (4,086,712 data points at 2-m horizontal resolution) based on the amount of erosion and accretion during the 2004 to 2016 time period. Seafloor-stability point and triangulated irregular network (TIN) surface models were created at five different elevation-change data resolutions (1st order through 5th order) with each resolution becoming increasingly more detailed. The stability models were used to determine the level of seafloor stability at potential areas of interest for coral restoration and ten habitat types found at Looe Key. Stability surface (TIN) models were used for areas defined by specific XY geographic points, while stability point models were used for areas defined by bounding box coordinate locations.

This data release includes ArcGIS map packages containing the binned and color-coded stability point and surface (TIN) models, potential coral restoration locations, and habitat files; maps of each stability model; and data tables containing stability and elevation-change data for the potential coral restoration locations and habitat types. Data were collected under Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary permit FKNMS-2016-068. Coral restoration locations were provided by Mote Marine Laboratory under Special Activity License SAL-18-1724-SCRP.

Yates, K.K., Zawada, D.G., Murphy, K.A., and Arsenault, S.R., 2019, Seafloor elevation change from 2004 to 2016 at Looe Key, Florida Keys: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9JTOOMB.

Yates, K.K., Zawada, D.G., Smiley, N.A., and Tiling-Range, G., 2017b, Divergence of seafloor elevation and sea level rise in coral reef ecosystems: Biogeosciences, v. 14, p. 1739-1772, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1739-2017.