Crocker Reef, Florida, 2017-2018 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 2017 and 2018 at Crocker Reef near Islamorada, Florida (FL), within a 6.11 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 2017 and 2018 using the methods of Yates and others (2017). A seafloor stability threshold was determined for the 2017-2018 Crocker Reef elevation-change dataset based on the vertical uncertainty of the 2017 and 2018 digital elevation models (DEMs). Five stability categories (which include, Stable: 0.0 meters (m) to ±0.24 m or 0.0 m to ±0.49 m; Moderately stable: ±0.25 m to ±0.49 m; Moderately unstable: ±0.50 m to ±0.74 m; Mostly unstable: ±0.75 m to ±0.99 m; and Unstable: ±1.00 m to Max/Min elevation change) were created and used to define levels of stability and instability for each elevation-change value (1,525,339 data points at 2-m horizontal resolution) based on the amount of erosion and accretion during the 2017 to 2018 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 point models were used to determine the level of seafloor stability at seven habitat types found at Crocker Reef. This data release includes ArcGIS map packages containing the binned and color-coded stability point and surface (TIN) models and habitat files; maps of each stability model; and data tables containing stability and elevation-change data for the habitat types. Data were collected under Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary permit FKNMS-2016-068.