NOAA’s Deep-Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSC-RTP) has compiled a national database of the known locations of deep-sea corals and sponges in U.S. territorial waters and beyond. The database is comprehensive, standardized, quality controlled, and networked to outside resources. The database schema accommodates both linear (trawls, transects) and point (samples, observations) data. The structure of the database is tailored to occurrence records of all the azooxanthellate corals, a subset of all corals, and all sponge species. Fish records are also included when annotated along with coral and sponge occurrences. Records shallower than 50 m are generally excluded in order to focus on predominantly deep-water species – the mandate of the DSC-RTP. The intention is to limit the overlap with light-dependent (and mostly shallow-water) corals. Query, visualize, and download data in its native format by visiting our map and data portal:
Deep-Sea Corals Map Portal. For advanced data query and data download, please visit our ERDDAP data access form:
ERDDAP Data Access Form.

To learn more about NOAA's National Database for Deep-Sea Corals and Sponges, visit our website:
NOAA Deep-Sea Coral Data.

GBIF url: https://www.gbif.org/dataset/df8e3fb8-3da7-4104-a866-748f6da20a3c
Homepage: https://deepseacoraldata.noaa.gov/data
Citation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) [2025]. Observations of Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Occurrences from NOAA's National Database for Deep-sea Corals and Sponges, 1842-Present, version 20251001-0 (NCEI Accession 0145037). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Archived data: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0145037. Access portal: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/deep-sea-corals-portal/. Accessed [date as YYYY-MM-DD].
Note: Character strings in [bold brackets] should be overwritten with appropriate values and leave out the brackets.
Note: Database version can be found in the ‘DatabaseVersion’ variable in the database. https://doi.org/10.15468/aqbftj accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-10-28.