A Remote Sensing Appraisal of the Extent and Geomorphological Diversity of the Coral Reefs of Cuba

Abstract

The coral reefs and lagoons of Cuba are mapped using Landsat satellite images at 30 m spatial resolution following the Millennium Coral Reef Mapping Project (MCRMP) protocol. The mapped classes include five hierarchical levels of geomorphological description, which are consistent with other MCRMP products worldwide. Cuba is characterized by a high richness of entities, with barrier, fringing, patch, and shelf complexes, each with its own range of variations due to exposure to the ocean, open shelf, lagoon, and bay environments. At Level 5, the most detailed level, Cuba is the richest Caribbean country with the presence of 108 classes. At Level 2 and 3, Cuba has 8 and 23 entities, respectively. Among them, 58 classes covering 5807 km2 are reefal classes that harbor coral and hard-bottom communities or are dominated by these communities. Other classes represent 58,142 km2 of sedimentary areas. This chapter overviews Cuban coral reefs and lagoon within the Millennium terminology and provides areal coverage statistics and maps that can be compared with other Millennium products in the Caribbean and worldwide.