Coral reef benthic and fish monitoring data from Turneffe Atoll, Belize, 2010-2023

Coral reefs are crucial centres of biodiversity, sustaining diverse marine species and providing ecosystem services to coastal communities. Monitoring coral reefs allows us to assess how the reefs are changing over time, discerning the potential impact of environmental changes, human activities, and climate events on their health and biodiversity.  Here, we present a collection of data obtained through methodologies from the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef Systems Synoptic Monitoring Program (MBRS SMP) and Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) protocols, including data of benthic point-intercept and invertebrate surveys, coral community characterizations, and reef fish surveys. The dataset encompasses observations spanning the years 2010 to 2023 within Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve, Belize. By publishing this dataset, we aim to provide a resource for research endeavours related to coral reef dynamics and broader ecological trends. Use of this monitoring data supports the evolution o..., Our dataset consists of data collected for four surveys (benthic point-intercept-method (PIM), benthic invertebrates, coral community, and reef fish) carried out at the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve in Belize, annually between the years of 2010-2018, and biennially between 2021-2023. For our annual surveys from 2010-2018, we followed the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System Synoptic Monitoring Program (MBRS SMP) protocol1. For 2021 and 2023, our data collection followed the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) protocol2-6. The change in protocol between 2018 and 2021 is due to the National adoption of the AGRRA protocol for coral reef monitoring in Belize7. The two protocols are very similar, as the MBRS SMP was based on AGRRA and Caribbean Coastal and Marine Productivity (CARICOMP) protocols1. 
Between 2010-2021, we archived our collected data in Excel sheets, stored locally at the UB-ERI. Under UB-ERI guidance, volunteers digitized the data, entering it into tabular data format..., , # Coral Reef Benthic and Fish Monitoring Data from Turneffe Atoll, Belize, 2010-2023

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Our dataset encompasses coral reef field data collected from Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve, Belize, spanning the years 2010 to 2023. Using four distinct survey methods---benthic point intercept, benthic belt transect invertebrate, coral community characterization, and reef fish belt transect---the data were gathered along transects at various localities around the atoll, with individual sites targeting specific reef structures, including backreef, deep forereef, and shallow forereef. Data were validated with custom validation rules created in R Statistical Software.

## Description of the data and file structure

Nine total data files are included in this dataset. Four files contain survey data, and five files contain supplementary information. Metadata for each file are provided below, including an explanation of each measured parameter, and in ...