Water depth and acoustic backscatter data collected from NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in Caribbean Sea, Buck Island Reef and Virgin Islands National Coral Reef Monuments, U.S. Virgin Islands from 2004-02-18 to 2004-03-05 (NCEI Accession 0131850)

The Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment (CCMA) conducted the first year of an ongoing scientific research mission on board NOAA Ship Nancy Foster. The purpose of this cruise was to support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's research on the characterization of near shore and deepwater habitats (<1000m) of Buck Island Reef and Virgin Islands National Coral Reef Monuments. Data from the mission was used to produce maps of the seafloor topography, delineate the various seafloor habitats, and collect data to assist in the development of models to predict fish species utilization and populations. In addition the data collected will be used to update nautical charts covering the U.S. Virgin Islands.