Benthic surveys along a water quality gradient in Aua, American Samoa: benthic images collected during belt transect surveys in 2022

Description

This metadata record describes the imagery collected in 2022 of Aua Reef, American Samoa by the Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) of NOAA, funded by the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), to study effects of land-based source pollution by establishing biological, physical, and chemical baselines. In September 2022, NOAA scientists conducted benthic survey protocols at 18 study sites in Aua, American Samoa. The surveys implemented a one-stage stratified random sampling (StRS) design and the survey domain encompassed the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0 to 6 m depth range. Photoquadrat benthic images were collected along belt transect surveys of coral demography according to protocols established by NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) in 2015. Thirty images were collected along one, haphazardly laid, 30-m transects. Still photographs were collected to record the benthic community composition at predetermined points along belt transect with a high-resolution digital camera mounted on a pole. Photographs were taken every 1 m from the 1 m to the 30 m mark. This work generates 30 photographs per site, which are later analyzed by ESD staff and partners using the computer program CoralNet. This analysis is the basis for estimating benthic cover and composition at each site, which is documented and archived separately. The StRS design effectively reduces estimate variance through stratification using environmental covariates and by sampling more sites rather than more transects per site. Therefore, site-to-site comparisons should proceed with caution.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 Photoquadrat benthic images collected in 2022 at 18 randomly selected sites (30 photos per site) in Aua, Tutuila, American Samoa via belt transect surveys of coral demography by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division , Archipelagic Research Program (ESD, ARP). http://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0270551
0 List of survey sites, including site id, location (latitude/longitude), and survey date, where photoquads were collected. http://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0270551
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/67994
0 Link to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program website https://coralreef.noaa.gov
0 Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
21 NOAA CRCP page 'Reduce Land-Based Sources of Pollution'; includes other related links https://coralreef.noaa.gov/issues/lbsp.html
0 Overview of NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division, Archipelagic Research Program's methods to assess corals. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/coral-reefs-pacific
0 Overview of research and programs at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/pacific-islands#science
0 The information provided on this page seeks to define how the GCMD Keywords are structured, used and accessed. It also provides information on how users can participate in the further development of the keywords. https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/find-data/idn/gcmd-keywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/67994.pdf

Tags

  • benthic missions
  • doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc
  • united states of america
  • reef monitoring and assessment
  • corals
  • pifsc
  • in situ biological
  • biosphere
  • oceans
  • coral reef conservation program
  • american samoa
  • camera
  • aua (14s170w0028)
  • noaa
  • nmfs
  • baseline studies
  • imagery
  • us doc
  • habitats
  • archipelagic research program
  • pacific islands fisheries science center
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • earth science
  • benthic biology
  • national marine fisheries service
  • crcp
  • 31303
  • marine biology
  • land-based source pollution
  • coral communities
  • chartered vessel
  • linking watershed management actions to reef health in american samoa
  • visual images
  • coral reef ecology
  • ocean basin
  • photoquadrat images
  • aua
  • ecosystem sciences division
  • coral
  • esd
  • coastal processes
  • lbsp
  • tutuila island
  • zoology
  • coral reefs
  • pacific ocean
  • country/territory
  • south pacific ocean
  • coral reef studies

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