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Flower Garden Banks East and West Flower Garden Banks (EFGB and WFGB) were designated as the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in January 1992. In 1996, a third bank, Stetson Bank (not a true coral reef), was added to the Sanctuary. It is located about 30 miles northwest of the West Flower Garden Bank. Because of a number of factors, including geographical isolation and water temperature, there is a relatively low biodiversity of reef-building corals inhabiting these banks.
The complexity of habitats supports a diverse assemblage of organisms including approximately 250 species of fishes, 23 species of coral, and 80 species of algae in addition to large sponge communities The predominant coral species at the East and West Flower Gardens are massive, closely-spaced boulder and brain corals and mountainous star corals. Coral growth is relatively uniform over the entire top of both banks, occupying the bank crests down to about 50 meters. The prevalent species at Stetson Bank are smaller encrusting corals, such as fire coral (not a true coral) and green cactus coral. In addition to the coral reefs within the FGBNMS, there are a number of other reefs and banks in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico that contain corals or coral communities. Some contain significant communities of deep water corals in depths from about 200 to 500 feet. Several reefs and banks in the vicinity of the FGBNMS also harbor deep water coral communities. These banks include Bright, Geyer, Sonnier, and McGrail Banks. State of the Reefs Reports (SOTR) The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2008. The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2005. The
State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely
Associated States: 2002. Metadata, Data and Publications search in CoRIS Search the CoRIS Library for Flower Garden Banks metadata, data and publications ReefBase Coral Bleaching Reports Select "U.S. Caribbean" in the Region window and "Gulf of Mexico (USA)" in the Country window
National Data Buoy Center 3-meter discus buoy: Station 42019 - Freeport, TX 60 NM South of Freeport, TX http://seaboard.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=42019 Satellite Coral Bleaching Monitoring Texas Automated Buoy System (TABS). Texas A & M University’s Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG) operates two data buoys near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary at Sites N and V. The buoys measure winds, air temperature and humidity, atmospheric pressure, conductivity, and surface currents and report the data in near real time though the Texas Automated Buoy System. NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Research Plan for Fiscal Years 2007 to 2011 National Marine Sanctuaries Act Executive orders, Secretarial Orders, and Congressional Acts Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary - Encyclopedia Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary - Education Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary - Research and monitoring summaries Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary - student interest Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary - News and Events NOAA Draft Poster: Antipatharians of Deepwater Communities in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico NOAA Draft Poster: Fishes of Deepwater Communities in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico NOAA Draft Poster: Octocorals of Deepwater Communities in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico NOAA Draft Poster: Sponges of Deepwater Communities in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico Marine Protected Areas/ Marine Managed Areas Report on the Status of Marine Protected Areas in Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States. Volume 1: Marine Protected Areas Managed by U.S. States, Territories, and Commonwealths. NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 2 February 2007 Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf, and South Atlantic Marine Protected Areas of the United States Home Page The Marine Protected Areas Inventory Marine Federal Areas Fact Sheet Executive order 13158: Marine Protected Areas Marine Protected Areas of the United States Flower Gardens Bank National Marine Sanctuary The Flower Garden National Marine Sanctuary -- A Success Story Proposed Expansion of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Reef Fish Longline and Buoy Gear Restricted Area A Review of Gulf of Mexico Marine Protected Areas Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR) Texas Coastal Management Program Texas Gulf Ecological Management Sites
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