Benthic community composition from Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef determined from 2015 to 2020

Increasing ocean temperatures threaten coral reefs globally, but corals residing in habitats that experience high thermal variability are thought to be better adapted to survive climate-induced heat stress. Here, we used long-term ecological observations and in situ temperature data from Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef to investigate how temperature dynamics within various thermally variable vs. thermally stable reef habitats change during a marine heatwave and the resulting consequences for coral community survival. This data set includes the benthic community composition data across eight sites at Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef.