Description
The benthic cover data described here result from benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) in hard bottom shallow water (< 15 m) habitats in Timor-Leste during reef fish surveys surveys at 150 sites that were selected using a stratified random sampling design in June 2013, and along transects at fixed climate survey sites in September-October 2014 (10 sites and 8 sites, respectively).
Climate sites were established by CREP to establish ecological baselines for climate change by measuring multiple features of the coral reef environment (in addition to the data described herein) over time. The reef fish surveys were conducted to generate baseline data on the nearshore coral reef fish assemblages and associated benthic communities around Timor-Leste's north coast and Atauro Island.
Percent benthic cover for each site is estimated from a photo-transect (30 photographs, taken at 1-m intervals, 10+ points analyzed per photograph using Coral Point Count with Extensions). NA values represent situations where images were either not gathered or not analyzed.
These benthic cover data for Timor-Leste provide an estimate of the benthic community composition at each survey site, and give context to the results from the other survey components. The benthic images, and the associated reef fish survey data and parameters measured to establish ecological baselines for climate change are documented separately. The data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.
Resources
| Name | Format | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citation URL | HTML | Coral Point Count with Excel extensions website. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | HTML | Coral Point Count with Excel extensions website. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | HTML | Coral Point Count with Excel extensions website. | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Photo_FishSites_Timor_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File summarizes data for each photograph analyzed (one record = 1 photograph = data from 10 points analyzed) | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_PhotoPoints_FishSites_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File contains data for each point analyzed for a photograph (10 points each site). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Photo_ClimateSites_Timor_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File summarizes data for each photograph analyzed (one record = 1 photograph = data from 10 points analyzed) | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_PhotoPoints_FishSites_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File contains data for each point analyzed for a photograph (10 points each site). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Code_Categories.csv | Unknown | Benthic cover classification codes (definitions included in entities and attributes section). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_PhotoPoints_ClimateSites_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File contains data for each point analyzed for a photograph (10 points each site). Habitat information (HABITAT_CODE) was not recorded. | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Photo_FishSites_Timor_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File summarizes data for each photograph analyzed (one record = 1 photograph = data from 10 points analyzed) | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Photo_FishSites_Timor_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File summarizes data for each photograph analyzed (one record = 1 photograph = data from 10 points analyzed) | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Site_ClimateSites_Timor_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File summarizes data for each survey site (1 record = 1 site = ~30 photographs analyzed). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Site_FishSites_Timor_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File summarizes data for each survey site (1 record = 1 site = ~30 photographs analyzed). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_PhotoPoints_FishSites_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File contains data for each point analyzed for a photograph (10 points each site). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Site_ClimateSites_Timor_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File summarizes data for each survey site (1 record = 1 site = ~30 photographs analyzed). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_PhotoPoints_ClimateSites_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File contains data for each point analyzed for a photograph (10 points each site). Habitat information (HABITAT_CODE) was not recorded. | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Photo_ClimateSites_Timor_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File summarizes data for each photograph analyzed (one record = 1 photograph = data from 10 points analyzed) | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Code_Categories.csv | Unknown | Benthic cover classification codes (definitions included in entities and attributes section). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Site_ClimateSites_Timor_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File summarizes data for each survey site (1 record = 1 site = ~30 photographs analyzed). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_PhotoPoints_ClimateSites_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File contains data for each point analyzed for a photograph (10 points each site). Habitat information (HABITAT_CODE) was not recorded. | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Site_FishSites_Timor_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File summarizes data for each survey site (1 record = 1 site = ~30 photographs analyzed). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Site_FishSites_Timor_2013.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at reef fish survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2013. File summarizes data for each survey site (1 record = 1 site = ~30 photographs analyzed). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Code_Categories.csv | Unknown | Benthic cover classification codes (definitions included in entities and attributes section). | Open resource |
| Benthic_Cover_Photo_ClimateSites_Timor_2014.csv | Unknown | Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images collected by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at climate survey sites in Timor-Leste in 2014. File summarizes data for each photograph analyzed (one record = 1 photograph = data from 10 points analyzed) | Open resource |
| GCMD Keyword Forum Page | Unknown | Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. 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 | Open resource |
| GCMD Keyword Forum Page | Unknown | Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2024. GCMD Keywords, Version 19. 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 | Open resource |
| GCMD Keyword Forum Page | Unknown | Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. 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 | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | PIFSC CREP blog post, 2013: The final count: summary of mission to assess reef fish assemblages, build capacity in Timor-Leste. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | PIFSC CREP blog post, 2013: The final count: summary of mission to assess reef fish assemblages, build capacity in Timor-Leste. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | PIFSC CREP blog post, 2013: The final count: summary of mission to assess reef fish assemblages, build capacity in Timor-Leste. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | PIFSC CREP blog post, 2014: Scientists return to Timor-Leste for reef monitoring mission. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | PIFSC CREP blog post, 2014: Scientists return to Timor-Leste for reef monitoring mission. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | PIFSC CREP blog post, 2014: Scientists return to Timor-Leste for reef monitoring mission. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | Timor-Leste project portal on the NOAA Coral Reef Information Service website where NOAA's final report for Timor-Leste and the datasets generated by NOAA CREP as part of the project can be downloaded. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | Timor-Leste project portal on the NOAA Coral Reef Information Service website where NOAA's final report for Timor-Leste and the datasets generated by NOAA CREP as part of the project can be downloaded. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | Timor-Leste project portal on the NOAA Coral Reef Information Service website where NOAA's final report for Timor-Leste and the datasets generated by NOAA CREP as part of the project can be downloaded. | Open resource |
| Full Metadata Record | Unknown | View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. | Open resource |
| Full Metadata Record | Unknown | View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. | Open resource |
| Full Metadata Record | Unknown | View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. | Open resource |
| NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) | NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. | Open resource | |
| NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) | NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. | Open resource | |
| NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) | NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. | Open resource | |
| Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Website | Unknown | Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage | Open resource |
| Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Website | Unknown | Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage | Open resource |
| Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Website | Unknown | Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | Information about the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program's activities in the Coral Triangle. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | Information about the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program's activities in the Coral Triangle. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | Information about the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program's activities in the Coral Triangle. | Open resource |
Tags
- algae
- algal cover
- aquatic habitat
- atauro
- baseline studies
- baucau
- benthic
- benthic biology
- benthic habitat
- benthos analysis
- biosphere
- blue-green algae
- bobonaro
- coastal processes
- coral
- coral communities
- coral cover
- coral reef ecology
- coral reef ecosystem division
- coral reef ecosystem program
- coral reefs
- coral reef studies
- corals
- coral triangle initiative
- country/territory
- cred
- crep
- crustose coralline algae
- democratic republic of timor-leste (east timor) (09s126e0001)
- derived products
- dili
- doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc
- earth science
- ecosystem sciences division
- encrusting macroalgae
- hard coral cover
- indian ocean
- in situ biological
- lautem
- liquica
- manatuto
- marine biology
- marine invertebrates
- microbiota
- national marine fisheries service
- nmfs
- noaa
- numeric data sets
- ocean basin
- oceans
- octocoral cover
- oecusse
- pacific islands fisheries science center
- photograph analysis
- photographic analysis
- pifsc
- quadrat monitoring
- reef and/or bottom regime - percent cover
- reef habitat
- reef monitoring and assessment
- timor leste
- timor-leste
- timor sea
- turf algae
- united states agency for international development
- usaid
- u.s. department of commerce
- us doc
- vegetation
- vila mpa
- zoology