Introducing the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Data Visualization Tool

Presenter(s): Erica Towle, NCRMP Coordinator, Coral Reef Conservation Program and
Zachary Mason, CoRIS Data and Information Management Specialist, National Centers for Environmental Information

Sponsor(s): NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program

Seminar Contact(s): caroline.donovan@noaa.gov
Location: Webinar

Remote Access: Video call link: https://meet.google.com/pgn-asvi-kgpthis link opens in a new window
Or dial: (US) +1 402-921-2224 PIN: 488 546 477#

Abstract: The new National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) Visualization Tool is the first tool focusing on shallow tropical coral reef data to be hosted on the NOAA GeoPlatform, which is NOAA’s central hub for geospatial data and tools. The tool provides free and easy-to-access information on the status of U.S. coral reefs, and serves as a one-stop information hub to access and understand coral reef ecosystem trends across specific timescales, locations, coral or fish species, climate data, and socioeconomics. NCRMP integrates human dimensions into coral reef ecosystem monitoring, so the tool is also the first NOAA coral product to feature social parameters as part of a comprehensive analysis of coral status. Accessing data is another key component of this new visualization tool. For the first time, users can download streamlined data summaries for each available year at different geographic scales. The tool covers data collected since 2013 and covers coral reefs within Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hawai’i, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It also includes data from Flower Garden Banks, Florida Keys, and Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuaries, the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Islands and Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monuments.

Bio(s): Dr. Erica Towle (she/her/hers) is a marine biologist who currently serves as the Program Manager for the internationally-recognized National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Prior to leading the program, Towle was an advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Towle is the recipient of the NOAA Knauss Fellowship, and served as a Fellow in the U.S. Senate’s Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Subcommittee for Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard. Towle earned her Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, and her research has been featured in National Geographic and The Miami Herald.NOAA Science Seminar Series weekly email: Send an email to OneNOAAscienceseminars-request@list.woc.noaa.gov with the word ‘subscribe’ in the subject or body. Visit the NOAA Science Seminar Series website for more information. We welcome your comments and ideas!