Nauru Benthic and Geomorphic Habitat Data

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Nauru Coral Reef Data - Allen Coral Atlas

The Allen Coral Atlas is a global-scale coral reef habitat mapping project that uses Planet Dove 3.7 m resolution daily satellite imagery (in combination with wave models and ecological data) to create consistent and high-detail global habitat maps to support reef-related science and conservation.
Global Benthic Habitat Maps characterize different coral reef bottom types. These bottom types include communities of living organisms attached to the reef (benthos), as well as sediments and underlying substrate.

The six Allen Coral Atlas Global Benthic Habitat Map classes described below were developed by Roelfsema et al 2013* with input from other coral reef benthic classifications. Benthic classification for global scale reef mapping is still constrained by spatial resolution, quality and accessibility of biophysical earth observation data, with satellites used are unable to distinguish some of the key measures that ecologists prefer to assess reef health (e.g., cover of living coral, cover of dead coral, cover of bleached corals and functional forms of algae) but broad classes like Coral Habitat and Rubble can still be informative for characterizing the local ecology.

The twelve Global Geomorphic Zones mapped by the Allen Coral Atlas are listed below, in logical order from external seaward-facing through to internal coral reef structural features. These zones are known to be fairly consistent across different biogeographic regions, and often associated with regionally distinct ecological assemblages of benthic animals and plants. Moreover, geomorphic classes like these have been shown to be reliable predictors of biological habitat richness and diversity.