Se caracteriza el sustrato bentónico del arrecife Tuxpan, Veracruz, México con énfasis en la comunidad de corales escleractinios para definir el patrón de riqueza y cobertura coralina de las formaciones tipo plataforma de Veracruz.117 fototransectos, fueron distribuidos en 4 zonas y 16 ambientes arrecifales durante 2015. Se tomaron un total de 2.920 fotografías sobre transectos de 25 m para estimar la cobertura con el programa Coral Point Count. La riqueza y cobertura coralina fueron comparadas para determinar su semejanza entre zonas y ambientes arrecifales, a partir de los grupos morfo funcionales (GMF), usando pruebas estadísticas o ecológicas. 36 especies componen la comunidad de corales escleractinios y la riqueza coralina mostró diferencias entre zonas, siendo mayor en las pendientes. De acuerdo con el análisis de escalamiento multidimensional no métrico (NMDS) y ANOSIM, los GMF y la cobertura específica de corales caracterizaron 4 zonas arrecifales: planicie, cresta, pendiente de barlovento y pendiente de sotavento. La cobertura coralina en sotavento, es inversamente proporcional a la profundidad, donde los valores más altos fueron observados entre 3 y 15 m. En barlovento, no se evidenció una relación de la cobertura coralina con la profundidad y los valores más altos se registraron entre 10 y 20 m. La caracterización de las zonas del arrecife Tuxpan puede servir como modelo de los arrecifes tipo plataforma de Veracruz así como para los planes de manejo de esta Área Natural Protegida, especialmente en las actividades de esnórquel y buceo.

The dataset is divided in two main groups. The first group, referred to as “Meteorological data”, consists of air temperature, sea level pressure and U and V components of wind direction and intensity: The second group, referred to as “Oceanographic data”, includes biovolume, sea level and water temperature measurements. The meteorological data is derived from model data obtained from the NAAR-NCEP reanalysis for North America, calculated over the area of the Veracruz reef system, Mexico. On the other hand, the oceanographic data was collected in situ using four ADCPs (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers) anchored at a depth of 20 m at four different reefs within the Veracruz reef system. Both datasets cover a period of 10 days in November 2008, during which successive low-and high-pressure systems occurred over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. These datasets can be used to evaluate the effect of the pressure changes on marine circulation, residual current and oceanographic variables.

High- and low-pressure systems traveling as Rossby waves from the western Pacific to the eastern Gulf of Mexico induce fluctuations in oceanographic parameters (currents, temperature, sea level, an...

Low- and high-pressure systems traveling from the northeastern Pacific to the eastern Gulf of Mexico induce short-term fluctuations in ocean currents, water column temperature, sea level, and biovolume. Meteorological data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), North American Regional Reanalysis-National and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NARR-NCEP) for the western Gulf of Mexico in 2008, specifically from November 10th to 20th, were used to describe these fluctuations. Additionally, data from four Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) deployed at four reefs in the northern part of the "Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano" (PNSAV) were analyzed. Results showed two main wind patterns: a southern one, locally named "Surada", associated with a low-pressure system over the Mexican mainland, which increases the air temperature of the western Gulf of Mexico to about 25°C; and "Norte" winds associated of the passage of high pressure over the study area, lowering the air temperature to 20°C. Both Surada and Norte alter the seasonal wind-driven circulation, which typically flows south in the fall and winter. However, these itinerant low- and high-pressure systems can reverse the seasonal wind-driven circulation for a few days. During Surada, the wind-driven circulation flows north, while Norte flows south with a residual almost anticyclonic current developing. These changes contribute to oceanographic variability in the PNSAV. These changes in marine circulation lead to variations in oceanographic parameters in the northern PNSAV, with important ecological and social consequences.