DISCLAIMER
The Caribbean Regional Ocean Partnership Data Sharing Initiative provides the CROP Data Portal as a service to the public. This tool was developed for information and display purposes only and caution should be taken when analyzing and interpreting the included data and data products. CARICOOS is not responsible for the accuracy or content of information of the linked Internet resources and websites nor for inappropriate use of this tool.
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Marine resources
22 products availablePhysical and biological entities that are found in seas and oceans that are beneficial to man.
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Coastal Hazards20 products available
Physical phenomena that expose a coastal area to risk of property damage, loss of life and environmental degradation.
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Coastal Barriers20 products available
Unique landforms that provide protection for diverse aquatic habitats and serve as the mainland's first line of defense against the impacts of severe coastal storms and erosion.
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Conservation18 products available
Planned management of a natural resource so that they can persist for future generations. It includes maintaining diversity of species, genes, and ecosystems, as well as functions of the environment, such as nutrient cycling.
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Coral Reefs17 products available
Underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. They are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most reefs grow best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and agitated water.
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Coastal Management17 products available
Any management activity taking place in the coastal zone, which has a specific purpose. It includes management for nature conservation, recreational activity, habitat and species restoration, protection from coastal erosion and flooding) amongst a wide range of other human uses.
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Coastal Resources16 products available
All-natural resources occurring within coastal waters and their adjacent shorelands including islands, transitional and intertidal areas, salt marshes, wetlands, floodplains, estuaries, beaches, dunes, barrier islands, and coral reefs, as well as fish and wildlife and their respective habitats within these areas.
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Coastal Planning16 products available
A process planners use to make better decisions about ocean uses.
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Critical Habitats15 products available
A habitat area essential to the conservation of a listed species.
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Mangroves15 products available
Woody tree or shrub that lives along sheltered coastlines within the tropic or subtropic latitudes.
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Habitat15 products available
The natural environment in which an organism or population normally lives.
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Seagrasses14 products available
Only flowering plants that can live underwater.
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Atlantic Multdecadal Oscillation is an ongoing cycle of long-duration changes in the sea surface temperature of the North Atlantic Ocean, with cool and warm phases that may last for 20-40 years.
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Growth (vertical and/or horizontal) of morphological structures (beach, bar, dune, sand bank, tidal flat, salt marsh, tidal channel, etc.) by sedimentation.
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Technique of photographing the Earth’s surface or features of its atmosphere or hydrosphere with cameras mounted on aircraft, rockets, or Earth-orbiting satellites and other spacecraft.
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Members of a group of predominantly aquatic photosynthetic organisms of the kingdom Protista.
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Instrument that measures the altitude of the land surface or any object such as an airplane.
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Something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified.
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Body of salt water covering approximately one-fifth of Earth’s surface and separating the continents of Europe and Africa to the east from those of North and South America to the west.
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AMO; is an ongoing series of long-duration changes in the sea surface temperature of the North Atlantic Ocean, with cool and warm phases that may last for 20-40 years at a time and a difference of about 1°F between extremes. These changes are natural and have been occurring for at least the last 1,000 years.
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Concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere.
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Bathymetric Attributed Grid (BAG) is a file format developed by the Open Navigation Surface Working Group for storing and exchanging bathymetric data.
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Group of unicellular microorganisms which have cell walls but lack organelles and an organized nucleus, include some pathogens.
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The study of the "beds" or "floors" of water bodies, including the ocean, rivers, streams, and lakes.
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Zone of unconsolidated material that extends landward from the low water line to the place where there is marked changes in material or physiographic form, or to the line of permanent vegetation.
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Description of the condition of the water, including chemical, physical, and biological characteristics, usually with respect to its suitability for a particular purpose such as swimming.
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Organisms living in the benthic zone in close relationship with the substrate or permanently attached to the bottom.
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Measure of the proportion of benthic surface covered by specific features or habitat types.
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Seabed substrates that benthic communities grow on or in.
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Spatial representation of physically distinct areas of seafloor that are associated with particular groups of plants and animals.
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Benthos.Organisms living in the benthic zone.
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Ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers
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Variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.
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Amount of living matter in a given habitat, expressed either as the weight of organisms per unit area or as the volume of organisms per unit volume of habitat.
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Carbon captured by the world's ocean and coastal ecosystems.
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Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem
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The activity of traveling in a boat
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Caribbean Coastal Ocean Observing System
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NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
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Buildup of calcium in a body tissue, causing the tissue to harden.
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Colorless and non-flammable gas at normal temperature and pressure. A molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) is made up of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. It is an important greenhouse gas that helps to trap heat in our atmosphere
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Suboceanic basin of the western Atlantic Ocean, lying between latitudes 9° and 22° N and longitudes 89° and 60° W. It is approximately 1,063,000 square miles (2,753,000 square km) in extent.
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Green pigment found in plants. It absorbs sunlight and converts it to sugar during photosynthesis. Chlorophyll a concentrations are an indicator of phytoplankton abundance and biomass in coastal and estuarine waters. T
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Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns due to natural causes or human activities.
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Consequences of climate change
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Long-term average of a given variable, often over time periods of 20-30 years.
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Positioned on, or relating to the coast.
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Alterations to coastal ecosystems and coastal landscape associated to changes in climate and an increase in extreme events.
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All economic activities that take place in the geographic area are defined as "Coastal Shoreline Counties".
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The process by which local sea level rise, strong wave action, and coastal flooding wear down or carry away rocks, soils, and/or sands along the coast.
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Visual representation of coastal areas.
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Structures, systems, and facilities built along coastlines.
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Section of coastline that has a range of coastal erosional or depositional features.
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The ability of a community to "bounce back" after hazardous events such as hurricanes, coastal storms, and flooding – rather than simply reacting to impacts.
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Weather conditions over coastal zones to provide details on significant or potentially hazardous conditions.
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People living on the thin strip of land or on the water along the fluctuating line where the sea meets the land.
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Bacteria that are always present in the digestive tracts of animals, including humans, and are found in their wastes. They are also found in plant and soil material.
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Relationship between potential flooding threats and the presence of community assets by combining two composite indices: the Threat Index and the Community Asset Index.
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Whitening of coral that results from the loss of a coral’s symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) or the degradation of the algae’s photosynthetic pigment normally due to water temperature increases.
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Sessile marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria that typically live in colonies of many identical individual polyps.
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Body of systems, networks and assets that are so essential that their continued operation is required to ensure the security of a given nation, its economy, and the public’s health and/or safety.
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Movement of water from one location to another, normally driven by tidal currents, wind and thermohaline circulation.
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Large system of winds that circulates about a centre of low atmospheric pressure in a counterclockwise direction north of the Equator and in a clockwise direction to the south.
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Activity of hurricanes and other tropical storms
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Standard reference for sharing information on biological diversity.
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DEM; is a representation of the bare ground (bare earth) topographic surface of the Earth excluding trees, buildings, and any other surface objects.
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Photo made up of a series of pixels (picture elements).
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Waste materials, including building materials, sediments, vegetative debris, personal property, and other materials resulting from a disaster that may be generated by any sector affected by a disaster (e.g., households, businesses, government, etc.).
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Organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.
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A procedure for coping with mass casualties or massive disruptions as a result of human or natural catastrophes.
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Adverse events that have the potential to cause catastrophic loss of life and physical destruction.
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NOAA Environmental Response Rapid Application.
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Endangered Species Act; Federal law that was enacted in 1973 to protect endangered and threatened species from becoming extinct (dying out).
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Concise summary of coastal resources, including biological resources, sensitive shorelines, and human-use resources, that could be at risk in the event of an oil spill.
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Shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves.
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The wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services.
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Process of assisting in the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed.
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Direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being.
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A system that includes all living organisms (biotic factors) in an area as well as its physical environment (abiotic factors).
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Process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, morals, beliefs, and habits.
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Height above a given level, especially sea level.
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Points of equal elevation (height) above a given level, such as mean sea level.
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Precautions taken before an emergency or disaster happens to help lessen damage and effects on people and property. It is the first step in emergency management and is subdivided into mitigation and direct preparedness phases.
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Managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters
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Any systematic response to an unexpected or dangerous occurrence.
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Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
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ESA; Federal law that was enacted in 1973 to protect endangered and threatened species from becoming extinct (dying out).
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Bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, including humans, and therefore indicate possible contamination of streams and rivers by fecal waste.
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Action of surface processes that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location.
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Those waters and substrates necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding or growth to maturity.
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Seaward portion of a drowned valley system which receives sediment and water from both fluvial and marine sources giving rise to a unique sedimentary regime and areas of variable salinity.
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Maps showing evacuation routes in the event of a natural or man made disaster.
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Zone where the U.S. and other coastal nations have jurisdiction over natural resources.
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Full-scale section of a FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) that you create yourself online and are formatted to fit on printers commonly found in offices.
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The industry or occupation devoted to the catching, processing, or selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals. A place where fish or other aquatic animals are caught.
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Integrated process of information gathering, analysis, planning, consultation, decision-making, allocation of resources and formulation and implementation, with enforcement as necessary, of regulation or rules which govern fisheries activities in order to ensure the continued productivity of the resources and accomplishment of other fisheries objective
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Hazards associated with flooding. They are divided into primary hazards (due to contact with water), secondary (effects that occur because of the flooding), and tertiary effects such as changes in the position of river channels.
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Flood insurance protects against damages caused by flooding as a result of the overflow of bodies of water, storm surges, mudslides, among others.
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Tool for assessing a property’s flood risk. Maps show a community’s flood zone, floodplain boundaries, and base flood elevation.
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Geographic areas that the FEMA has defined according to varying levels of flood risk.
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Temporary overflow of water onto land that is normally dry. Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States.
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Information about geographic locations that is stored in a format that can be used with a geographic information system (GIS).
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The location of a point on the surface of the Earth, usually expressed in terms of latitude and longitude. Also known as geocoordinates.
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The study of the nature and history of landforms and the processes which create them.
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Gradual increase in temperature of the earth's atmosphere observed since the pre-industrial period due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere.
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Geological maps produced from acoustic survey of the seabed, to mapping of defined biological assemblages or ‘biotopes’ (e.g. coral reef, sea-grass bed, mussel bed, etc.).
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Technology to map ocean surface currents and wave fields (along with other variables) over wide areas with high spatial and temporal resolution.
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HMS; Fish species that travel long distances and often cross domestic and international boundaries.
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Tropical cyclone, with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher, that forms over tropical or subtropical waters in the Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Pacific Ocean.
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Period in a year when hurricanes usually form (June through November in the Atlantic Ocean).
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Quantitative biological, chemical, physical, social, or economic measurements that serve as proxies of the conditions of attributes of natural and socio-economic systems.
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The basic systems and services, such as transport and power supplies, that a country or organization uses in order to work effectively
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Total water level that occurs on normally dry ground as a result of flooding due to abnormally high tides, storm surge, persistent onshore winds and waves, and runoff.
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Animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column derived from the notochord.
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The official power to make legal decisions and judgments.
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Highest predicted high tide of the year at a coastal location, also known as perigean spring tides.
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Observed physical cover on the earth's surface. Includes grass, asphalt, trees, waters, bare ground, etc.
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A place to dispose of refuse and other waste material.
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Functional changes in the land use.
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Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar), is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth.
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Excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial (usually outdoor) light.
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Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) is a growing global initiative composed of regional networks of scientists, resource managers, and end-users working to integrate data from existing long-term programs to improve our understanding of changes and connections between marine biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
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Marine Protected Areas; Areas of the ocean set aside for long-term conservation aims.
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Natural areas of land under distinct protective or potentially protective management.
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Threatened species that can be secured by conservation projects at specific sites.
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Breeding, rearing, and harvesting aquatic plants and animals. It can occur in the ocean, or on land in tanks and ponds.
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Species richness and abundance in the world's oceans and seas.
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Protection of marine species and ecosystems in oceans and seas worldwide that involves protection and restoration of species, populations, and habitats, and, mitigation of human activities that impact marine life and habitats.
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Protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great lakes. MPAs restrict human activity for a conservation purpose, typically to protect natural or cultural resources.
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Ocean-based activities which are undertaken during leisure.
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The role of space in marine population dynamics and interspecific interactions.
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All ships at sea.
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Any operation conducted using Vessels offshore, inshore or at terminals ashore.
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Introduction of substances from humans into the marine environment results in harmful effects such as harm to living resources, hazards to human health, a hindrance to marine activities including fishing, impairment of quality for the use of seawater, and the reduction of facilities.
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Areas of ocean or sea which are or will be subject to national or international authority. They are delimited as parts of the seabed, water column and sea surface, the subdivision being on the grounds of political jurisdiction relating to the use and ownership of marine resources.
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Average height of the sea over longer periods of time (usually a month or year), with the shorter-term variations of tides and storm surges averaged out.
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Data consisting of physical parameters that are measured directly by instrumentation, and include temperature, dew point, wind direction, wind speed, cloud cover, visibility, current weather, and precipitation amount.
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The process or result of making something less severe, dangerous, painful, harsh, or damaging.
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North Atlantic Oscillation; An irregular fluctuation of atmospheric pressure over the North Atlantic Ocean that has a strong effect on winter weather in Europe, Greenland, northeastern North America, North Africa, and northern Asia.
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National Coral Reef Monitoring Program
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Actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously benefiting people and nature.
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Process of directing the movements of watercraft from one point to another.
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Buoys, day beacons, lights, lightships, radio beacons, fog signals, marks and other devices used to provide "street" signs on the water. Include all the visible, audible and electronic symbols that are established by government and private authorities for piloting purposes.
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The region extending from the land water interface (shoreline) to a location just beyond where the waves are breaking,
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NAO; An irregular fluctuation of atmospheric pressure over the North Atlantic Ocean that has a strong effect on winter weather in Europe, Greenland, northeastern North America, North Africa, and northern Asia.
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Reduction in the pH of seawater as a consequence of the absorption of large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the oceans.
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Ocean data (from research or monitoring activities) collected using both in situ methods and remote sensing.
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Release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment,
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A stock having a population size that is too low and that jeopardizes the stock’s ability to produce its Maximum Sustainable Yield.
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Puerto Rico Coral Reef Monitoring Program.Includes raw biological data (by transect) from reef locations around the Puerto Rican archipelago.
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A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.
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Species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
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All organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole.
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An underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate.
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The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
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Areas of open space or habitat where resilience projects may have the greatest potential to benefit both human community resilience and fish and wildlife.
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Sustainable utilization of major natural resources, such as land, water, air, minerals, forests, fisheries, and wild flora and fauna.
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Freedom from harm or danger.Ability to protect against external harm events.
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A landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill.
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Order in the Cnidaria, also called stony corals or hard corals.
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Rise in sea level as a result of human-caused global warming.
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The rate of mean sea level rise or fall measured by tide gauges.
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Position of the air-sea interface, to which all terrestrial elevations and submarine depths are referred.
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Changes in sea level caused primarily by factors related to global warming.
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The skin temperature of the ocean surface water.
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The search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.
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Concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in seawater.
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A measure of how acidic/basic water is. Actual average ocean pH is about 8.1.
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Protection of individuals, organizations, and assets against external threats and criminal activities
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Frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time.
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Any dangerous meteorological phenomenon with the potential to cause damage, serious social disruption, or loss of human life.
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System consisting of equipments to follow and obtain vessels real time information including ship position, speed, location, etc.
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A regularly used route for commercial ships.
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Line along which a large body of water meets the land.
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Unique areas greatly influenced by tidal patterns, neighboring estuaries and wetlands, and human uses. Each shoreline habitat supports a great diversity of life.
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Public process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological, economic, and social objectives that are usually specified through a political process
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Sessile multicelullar marine filter feeders with dense and porous bodies with channels, allowing water to circulate through them.
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Secrete a skeleton made of limestone (calcium carbonate).
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An abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides.
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Any disturbed state of an environment or in an astronomical body's atmosphere especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather.
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Water that originates from intense precipitation, including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow.
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An organization's process of defining its direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy.
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Currents driven by global wind systems that are fueled by energy from the sun and brings heat from the tropics to the Polar regions.
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The ability of something to maintain or "sustain" itself over time. The capacity for Earth's biosphere and human civilization to co-exist.
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Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
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Geographic location where tidal observations are made.
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Periodic rising and falling of water that results from the gravitational attraction of the Moon and Sun and other astronomical bodies acting upon the rotating Earth.
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Detailed record of a land area, giving geographic positions and elevations for both natural and man-made features. They show the shape of the land the mountains, valleys, and plains by lines of equal elevation above sea level.
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The act and process of spending time away from home in pursuit of recreation, relaxation, and pleasure, while making use of the commercial provision of services
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Type of climate typically found in the equatorial or tropical zone and characterized by high temperatures throughout the year, generally high humidity, and high precipitation.
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An atmospheric low-pressure system originating in the tropics, specifically, a tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained wind speed is 38 miles per hour (62 kilometers per hour) or less.
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Maps indicating the area you may need to evacuate from if you feel a long or strong earthquake or if there is an official tsunami warning.
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Series of ocean waves caused by the displacement of large volume of water by earthquakes, underwater landslides or undersea volcanic eruptions.
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Reptiles of the order Testudines that have bodies encased in bony shells.
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Equipment and technology placed on or anchored to the ocean floor including cables for telecommunication, cables for power transmission, and other stationary equipment for scientific research.
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Spiny marine invertebrate animals (class Echinoidea, phylum Echinodermata) with a globular body and a radial arrangement of organs, shown by five bands of pores running from mouth to anus over the test (internal skeleton).
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Annual vessel transit counts summarized at a 100 m by 100 m geographic area.
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Chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage.
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Juncture of land and sea. This line fluctuates, changing with the tide or other fluctuations in the water.
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Undulating movement that travels along a surface or a medium that can be air, water or a solid material. The propagation of this disturbance or wave motion transfers energy.
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Complex ecosystem characterized by flooding or saturation of the soil, which creates low-oxygen environments that favor a specialized assemblage of plants, animals, and microbes adapted to tolerate periods of sluggishly moving or standing water.
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Perceptible natural movement of the air, especially in the form of a current of air blowing from a particular direction.
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Wind-generated wave. Water surface wave that occurs on the free surface of bodies of water.
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Unicellular, golden-brown algae (dinoflagellates) that live either in the water column as plankton or symbiotically inside the tissue of other organisms.