Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Oceanographic data collected during the Bonaire 2008: Exploring Coral Reef Sustainability with New Technologies (bonaire2008) project on Fetch1 and Gavia AUVs in Netherlands, Antilles from 2008-01-06 to 2008-01-29 (NCEI Accession 0072312)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: May 06, 2026 at 01:12 AM | Dataset Last Updated: August 17, 2012 at 12:00 AM
Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, is arguably the most pristine coral reef environment in the Caribbean. The percent coral cover is the highest and percent algal cover the lowest as compared to other Caribbean. Thus, the Bonaire reef environment represents a baseline against which we can compare other coral reefs. Bonaire's economy depends heavily on diving tourism, with over 31,000 scuba divers entering its waters annually. The Bonaire National Marine Park Authority oversees the administration and protection of this unique underwater resource with help from Stichting Nationale Parken Nederlandse Antillean (STINAPA), a management advisory body. Although the shallow leeward environment near Bonaire between 0 and 12 meters (m)/39 feet (ft) was mapped in the 1980s by a Dutch scientist, Dr. Fleur van Duyl, little to no survey work has been conducted on the deeper reef (60 to 100 m/197 to 328 ft) on into deeper water (100 to 300 m/328 to 646 ft). The shallow water survey (van Duyl 1985) provides a rich database against which to assess decadal changes. A recent meeting of the International Coral Reef Initiative, an effort of the United Nations Environmental Program, identified mapping the reefs of Bonaire as a top priority in a regional context, and the territorial government of Bonaire has indicated strong support for our mapping project. Bonaire, Curaçao, Las Aves, and Los Roques have recently been proposed for United Nations World Heritage Status, given the pristine marine environments and high degree of endemic species, which are those found nowhere else on the planet. The goal of the Bonaire 2008 expedition is to survey this unique environment over a greater depth range than can be reached with compressed air scuba, using three autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), technical diving, and (in a future year) a manned submersible. Scientists from the College of William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the University of Delaware, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography are leading the expedition. We also have help from the Island Government of Bonaire, scientists at the National Oceanography Centre, United Kingdom, and two makers of underwater technology, Hafmynd and GeoAcoustics. This unique mapping of the biological and physical environment will document patterns of biodiversity in both shallow and deep parts of the reef. We may discover new species. Because AUVs can "fly" in close proximity to the bottom in terrain-following mode, the AUVs will provide a superior method of imaging the bottom using such sensors as side scan sonar, multibeam sonar, and digital video as compared to towing these sensors over the reef on a sled, or using a boat at the surface. The AUVs can also simultaneously measure water currents near the bottom, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, pH, conductivity, and temperature. We will also be deploying fixed bottom instruments to measure temperature fluctuations and water currents. Because the AUVs can work 6 to 12 hours per day, depending on survey speeds, we should also be able to map several square kilometers per day. This robot mapping effort will be ground-truthed at select spots by compressed air and trimix scuba divers using underwater video. This re-mapping of the shallow reefs of Bonaire using new tools, and the explorations into deeper water using AUV technology, will provide an important resource for this island territory in the form of a detailed snapshot of shallow and deep reefs. The shallow reef mapping will be compared to the 1985 snapshot taken by van Duyl, as well as other limited surveys by other scientists. The deeper reef mapping will serve as a new snapshot against which future explorations can compare. This reef mapping expedition, with the geographic information system (GIS) database on bottom type, species composition, and overlying water quality, will help the Island Government of Bonaire continue to protect this unique ecosystem and help guide efforts to manage Fishing Protected Areas and marine reserves.

Resources

10 resources available

Find Related Datasets

Search by Tags

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

0072312 BAROMETRIC PRESSURE CONDUCTIVITY CURRENT SPEED OPTICAL BACKSCATTER SALINITY SOUND VELOCITY WATER TEMPERATURE

Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel non-public
contactPoint 
                                            {
  "fn": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "vcard:Contact",
  "hasEmail": "mailto:ncei.info@noaa.gov"
}
describedByType application/octet-steam
description Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, is arguably the most pristine coral reef environment in the Caribbean. The percent coral cover is the highest and percent algal cover the lowest as compared to other Caribbean. Thus, the Bonaire reef environment represents a baseline against which we can compare other coral reefs. Bonaire's economy depends heavily on diving tourism, with over 31,000 scuba divers entering its waters annually. The Bonaire National Marine Park Authority oversees the administration and protection of this unique underwater resource with help from Stichting Nationale Parken Nederlandse Antillean (STINAPA), a management advisory body. Although the shallow leeward environment near Bonaire between 0 and 12 meters (m)/39 feet (ft) was mapped in the 1980s by a Dutch scientist, Dr. Fleur van Duyl, little to no survey work has been conducted on the deeper reef (60 to 100 m/197 to 328 ft) on into deeper water (100 to 300 m/328 to 646 ft). The shallow water survey (van Duyl 1985) provides a rich database against which to assess decadal changes. A recent meeting of the International Coral Reef Initiative, an effort of the United Nations Environmental Program, identified mapping the reefs of Bonaire as a top priority in a regional context, and the territorial government of Bonaire has indicated strong support for our mapping project. Bonaire, Curaçao, Las Aves, and Los Roques have recently been proposed for United Nations World Heritage Status, given the pristine marine environments and high degree of endemic species, which are those found nowhere else on the planet. The goal of the Bonaire 2008 expedition is to survey this unique environment over a greater depth range than can be reached with compressed air scuba, using three autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), technical diving, and (in a future year) a manned submersible. Scientists from the College of William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the University of Delaware, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography are leading the expedition. We also have help from the Island Government of Bonaire, scientists at the National Oceanography Centre, United Kingdom, and two makers of underwater technology, Hafmynd and GeoAcoustics. This unique mapping of the biological and physical environment will document patterns of biodiversity in both shallow and deep parts of the reef. We may discover new species. Because AUVs can "fly" in close proximity to the bottom in terrain-following mode, the AUVs will provide a superior method of imaging the bottom using such sensors as side scan sonar, multibeam sonar, and digital video as compared to towing these sensors over the reef on a sled, or using a boat at the surface. The AUVs can also simultaneously measure water currents near the bottom, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, pH, conductivity, and temperature. We will also be deploying fixed bottom instruments to measure temperature fluctuations and water currents. Because the AUVs can work 6 to 12 hours per day, depending on survey speeds, we should also be able to map several square kilometers per day. This robot mapping effort will be ground-truthed at select spots by compressed air and trimix scuba divers using underwater video. This re-mapping of the shallow reefs of Bonaire using new tools, and the explorations into deeper water using AUV technology, will provide an important resource for this island territory in the form of a detailed snapshot of shallow and deep reefs. The shallow reef mapping will be compared to the 1985 snapshot taken by van Duyl, as well as other limited surveys by other scientists. The deeper reef mapping will serve as a new snapshot against which future explorations can compare. This reef mapping expedition, with the geographic information system (GIS) database on bottom type, species composition, and overlying water quality, will help the Island Government of Bonaire continue to protect this unique ecosystem and help guide efforts to manage Fishing Protected Areas and marine reserves.
distribution 
                                            [
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NCEI Dataset Landing Page",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0072312",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Descriptive Information",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/72312",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "HTTPS",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/72312",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "FTP",
    "accessURL": "ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0209/0072312/",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "https://archive.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/08bonaire/",
    "accessURL": "https://archive.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/08bonaire/",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Expeditions, education, multimedia and data access.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "https://data.noaa.gov/metaview/page?xml=NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/oer/iso/xml/Bonaire2008_COLLECTION.xml&view=xml2text/xml-to-text-ISO",
    "accessURL": "https://data.noaa.gov/metaview/page?xml=NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/oer/iso/xml/Bonaire2008_COLLECTION.xml&view=xml2text/xml-to-text-ISO",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Expedition Metadata",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Bonaire Expedition 2008",
    "accessURL": "https://discover.library.noaa.gov/permalink/01NOAA_INST/1qbesct/alma991000877669707381",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "NOAA Central Library: publication(s)",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "GCMD Keyword Forum Page",
    "accessURL": "https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NCEI Contact Information",
    "accessURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Information for contacts at NCEI.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NOAA Library website",
    "accessURL": "https://library.noaa.gov/",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Institution web page",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  }
]
identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions/iso/xml/0072312.xml
issued 2011-04-27T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
                                            [
  "0072312",
  "BAROMETRIC PRESSURE",
  "CONDUCTIVITY",
  "CURRENT SPEED",
  "OPTICAL BACKSCATTER",
  "SALINITY",
  "SOUND VELOCITY",
  "WATER TEMPERATURE",
  "ADCP",
  "conductivity sensor",
  "CTD",
  "GPS",
  "pressure gauge",
  "salinometer",
  "sonar",
  "temperature sensor",
  "chemical",
  "meteorological",
  "navigational",
  "water chemistry",
  "Scripps Institution of Oceanography",
  "University of Delaware, College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, School of Marine Science and Policy",
  "Virginia Institute of Marine Science",
  "Scripps Institution of Oceanography",
  "Office of Ocean Exploration and Research's Integrated Product Team (OER IPT)",
  "Caribbean Sea",
  "oceanography",
  "CWM/VIMS > Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary",
  "DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "corals",
  "submersibles",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN ACOUSTICS > ACOUSTIC VELOCITY",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CIRCULATION > OCEAN CURRENTS",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN OPTICS",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN TEMPERATURE > WATER TEMPERATURE",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SALINITY/DENSITY > CONDUCTIVITY",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > SALINITY/DENSITY > SALINITY",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans",
  "Ocean Exploration",
  "ADCP > Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler",
  "CONDUCTIVITY METERS > CONDUCTIVITY METERS",
  "CTD > Conductivity, Temperature, Depth",
  "GPS RECEIVERS > GPS RECEIVERS",
  "PRESSURE GAUGES",
  "SALINOMETERS",
  "SONAR > Sound Navigation and Ranging",
  "TEMPERATURE SENSORS > TEMPERATURE SENSORS",
  "OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA",
  "Caribbean Sea",
  "Netherlands, Antilles",
  "North Atlantic Ocean"
]
landingPage https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
language 
                                            []
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2012-08-17T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
                                            {
  "name": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
references 
                                            [
  "https://archive.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/08bonaire/",
  "https://data.noaa.gov/metaview/page?xml=NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/oer/iso/xml/Bonaire2008_COLLECTION.xml&view=xml2text/xml-to-text-ISO",
  "https://discover.library.noaa.gov/permalink/01NOAA_INST/1qbesct/alma991000877669707381"
]
rights otherRestrictions
spatial -68.266667,12.116667,-68.366667,12.183333
temporal 2008-01-07T00:00:00+00:00/2008-01-30T00:00:00+00:00
title Oceanographic data collected during the Bonaire 2008: Exploring Coral Reef Sustainability with New Technologies (bonaire2008) project on Fetch1 and Gavia AUVs in Netherlands, Antilles from 2008-01-06 to 2008-01-29 (NCEI Accession 0072312)

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov