Benthic cover data collected at High Priority Reef Areas by the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program from 2010-08-04 to 2024-11-19 (NCEI Accession 0285768)

Description

The data in this package include benthic percent cover data collected at High Priority Reef Areas by the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program (GLTMP). These data were generated through the analysis of images obtained by benthic photo transect surveys at numerous sampling stations (= one transect) within the boundaries of each HPRA. Benthic cover estimates were initially derived from photo transect images using Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe; Kohler and Gill 2006) point sampling software, but the web-based image analysis platform CoralNet (Beijborn et al. 2012, Beijborn 2015) was used beginning with the 2019 images. These data were collected using a split-panel sampling approach, whereby a mix of permanent and non-permanent sampling stations (one sampling station = one transect) are visited within each HPRA. The HPRAs were selected by an advisory body comprised of reef managers, researchers, and technicians. The sites were not selected randomly from around the island and thus should not be considered representative of reef condition at the island-scale. While the general location of the HPRAs were selected based on management priority, the site boundaries were delineated using bathymetry and benthic habitat data within ArcGIS; the locations of the sampling stations were generated randomly within each site’s boundaries using ArcGIS. The benthic photo transect surveys, as well as reef fish SPC, macroinvertebrate belt transect, and rugosity surveys are carried out on an annual basis along the seaward slope between 7 and 15 m depth in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve and in East Agana Bay, while surveys are carried out biennially within the Piti Bomb Holes Marine Preserve, the Achang Reef Flat Marine Preserve, the eastern side of the Cocos Barrier Reef (Cocos-East), and Fouha Bay. Surveys were also carried at along reef margin (1-2 m) and slope (2-15 m) of Western Shoals, in Apra Harbor, in 2011. The GLTMP has conducted surveys at the Tumon and East Agana HPRAs since 2010 and the Piti HPRA since 2012. Data collection for the Achang and Cocos-East HPRAs began in 2014 and at the Fouha Bay HPRA in 2015. Baseline data is available for the Western Shoals HPRA from 2011 but this site has not been revisited since its establishment due to shifting management priorities. Newly generated annotations are acquired from CoralNet and integrated with a master benthic cover data set using a custom R script. These data do not contain zero counts for benthic classes not observed at a given sampling station, but zero counts should be accounted for when calculating mean values for parameters across sampling stations (e.g., by using the expand_grid function in R). Note that while the SURVEY_YEAR value is generally consistent with the SURVEY_DATE, the SURVEY_YEAR value for several sampling stations in the Piti HPRA is not consistent with the SURVEY_DATE. These stations were surveyed in November and December of 2017, but surveys at the remainder of the sampling stations were completed between March and August of 2018. The SURVEY_YEAR was changed to 2018 for the stations surveyed in late 2017 in order to allow these stations to be considered together in a time series analysis.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/285768
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0220/0285768/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 InPort Metadata Record https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47784
0 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program webpage https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/
0 Guam Coral Reef Initiative webpage https://www.guamcoralreefs.info
0 Related report https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29489
33 Related report https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/UOGML_TechRep170_GLTMP_2023.pdf
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/285768
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0220/0285768/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 InPort Metadata Record https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47784
0 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program webpage https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/
0 Guam Coral Reef Initiative webpage https://www.guamcoralreefs.info
33 Related report https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/UOGML_TechRep170_GLTMP_2023.pdf
0 Related report https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29489
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/285768
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0220/0285768/
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0285768
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 InPort Metadata Record https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47784
0 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program webpage https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/
0 Guam Coral Reef Initiative webpage https://www.guamcoralreefs.info
0 Related report https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29489
33 Related report https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/UOGML_TechRep170_GLTMP_2023.pdf
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/285768
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0220/0285768/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 InPort Metadata Record https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47784
0 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program webpage https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/
0 Guam Coral Reef Initiative webpage https://www.guamcoralreefs.info
0 Related report https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29489
33 Related report https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/UOGML_TechRep170_GLTMP_2023.pdf
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/285768
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0220/0285768/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 InPort Metadata Record https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47784
0 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program webpage https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/
0 Guam Coral Reef Initiative webpage https://www.guamcoralreefs.info
0 Related report https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29489
33 Related report https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/UOGML_TechRep170_GLTMP_2023.pdf
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/285768
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0220/0285768/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 InPort Metadata Record https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47784
0 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program webpage https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/
0 Guam Coral Reef Initiative webpage https://www.guamcoralreefs.info
0 Related report https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29489
33 Related report https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/UOGML_TechRep170_GLTMP_2023.pdf
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/285768
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0220/0285768/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 InPort Metadata Record https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47784
0 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program webpage https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/
0 Guam Coral Reef Initiative webpage https://www.guamcoralreefs.info
0 Related report https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29489
33 Related report https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/UOGML_TechRep170_GLTMP_2023.pdf
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0285768
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/285768
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/285768
0 These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0220/0285768/
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
0 InPort Metadata Record https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47784
0 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program webpage https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/
0 Guam Coral Reef Initiative webpage https://www.guamcoralreefs.info
0 Related report https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/29489
33 Related report https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/ml/technical_reports/UOGML_TechRep170_GLTMP_2023.pdf

Tags

  • coral reef ecosystem
  • coral cover
  • 6njrlf
  • united states of america
  • western pacific ocean
  • reef monitoring and assessment
  • aquatic habitat
  • corals
  • tridacna
  • benthic habitat
  • benthic
  • marine plants
  • photograph analysis
  • in situ biological
  • the guam coastal management program
  • biosphere
  • east agana bay (13n144e0063)
  • photographic analysis
  • na11nos4820007
  • oceans
  • na13nos4820012
  • algae
  • marine invertebrates
  • benthic cover
  • digital camera
  • hard coral cover
  • achang (13n144e0064)
  • noaa pacific islands regional office
  • gltmp
  • guam
  • numeric data sets
  • algal cover
  • na15nos4820039
  • hard coral cover live percentage
  • piti bay (13n144e0061)
  • na10nos4260060
  • macroinvertebrates
  • oceanography
  • coralnet
  • sponges
  • guam reefs
  • quadrat monitoring
  • guam (13n144e0000)
  • fouha bay (13n144e0024)
  • rapid ecological assessments
  • guam bureau of statistics and plans
  • earth science
  • guam long-term coral reef monitoring program
  • benthic biology
  • state and territorial government cooperative agreements
  • seagrass
  • vegetation
  • rea
  • crustose coralline algae
  • coral diseases
  • cyanobacteria
  • marine biology
  • coral communities
  • mollusks
  • encrusting macroalgae
  • hgnxkw
  • bleaching
  • microbiota
  • benthos analysis
  • piti bomb hole (13n144e0052)
  • university of guam marine laboratory
  • na21nos4820018
  • blue-green algae
  • transect monitoring
  • western shoal (13n144e0062)
  • reef habitat
  • coral reef ecology
  • ocean basin
  • na17nos4820038
  • coral
  • na23nos4820147
  • coastal processes
  • octocoral cover
  • zoology
  • coral reefs
  • na07nos4260060
  • comprehensive long-term coral reef monitoring at permanent sites on guam
  • pacific ocean
  • rapid assessment studies
  • na19nos4820057
  • country/territory
  • cocos barrier reefs (13n144e0001)
  • tumon bay (13n144e0004)
  • turf algae

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