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 2006-03-21 to 2006-04-02 (NCEI Accession 0131851)

The purpose of this cruise is to support the benthic characterization of coral reef habitat in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The mission explored, surveyed, and mapped moderate depth bathymetry (30 – 1000 meters) with NOAA Ship NANCY FOSTER’s Simrad EM1002 multibeam system for natural resource management and seafloor characterization.

Multibeam bathymetry and backscatter was collected along with Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) underwater video. Priority areas for 2006 included the deep water portion of the Buck Island Reef National Monument north of St. Croix and the La Parguera region along the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico.