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Shallow-water (<30m) benthic habitat maps of the nearshore marine environment of Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico were mapped and characterized using visual interpretation of optical and acoustic remotely sensed imagery. The objective of this effort, conducted by NOAA's Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment Biogeography Branch in partnership with NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), was to provide spatially-explicit information on the habitat types, biological cover and live coral cover in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico. The data contained in this shapefile denote the location of ground validation (GV) sites, which were explored by NOAA field scientists to further refine habitat map classification. In particular, this shapefile includes the location of: (1) the drop camera as it drifted over 155 GV sites (logged by a GPS at five-second intervals); (2) the location of 5 GV sites, which were explored while snorkeling; and (3) 8 GV sites, which were explored using a look bucket. |