Benthic Surveys in Vatia, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys between 2015-11-02 and 2015-11-12 (NCEI Accession 0165016)

Description

Jurisdictional managers have expressed concerns that nutrients from the village of Vatia, Tutuila, American Samoa, are having an adverse effect on the adjacent coral reef ecosystem. Excess nutrient loads promote increases in algal growth that can have deleterious effects on corals, such as benthic algae outcompeting and overgrowing corals. Nitrogen and phosphorus can also directly impact corals by lowering fertilization success, and reducing both photosynthesis and calcification rates. Land-based contributions of nutrients come from a variety of sources; in Vatia the most likely sources are poor wastewater management from piggeries and septic systems. NOAA scientists conducted benthic surveys to establish a baseline against which to compare changes in the algal and coral assemblages in response to nutrient fluxes. The data described here were collected via belt transect surveys of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) according to protocols established by the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). In 2015 data were collected at 18 stratified randomly selected sites in Vatia Bay. These data include: 1) an assessment of coral colony density and size-class distribution for the selected monitoring sites; 2) an assessment of coral recruitment at the monitoring sites; and 3) an evaluation of coral colony condition, including mortality, disease, bleaching, and evidence of sediment stress. These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. Additionally, photoquadrat benthic images were collected and analyzed for benthic cover composition (documented and archived separately). A brief report documenting the 2015 surveys conducted in Vatia and Fagaʻalu in Tutuila, American Samoa by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program is in progress: Baseline Assessment of Coral Reef Community Structure and Demographics in Vatia and Fagaʻalu Bays, American Samoa.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/165016
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/arc0111/0165016/
0 Institution web page http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred
0 Institution web page http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred
0 Institution web page http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred
0 Institution web page http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred
0 Institution web page http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred
0 Institution web page http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 NOAA Central Library: Data Report https://doi.org/10.25923/r7dd-wg50
0 Institution web page https://library.noaa.gov/
0 https://doi.org/10.7289/V5BZ6417 https://doi.org/10.7289/V5BZ6417
0 Information for contacts at NCEI. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2023. GCMD Keywords, Version 16. 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/0165016
0 Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/165016
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2023. GCMD Keywords, Version 16. 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/30771
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2023. GCMD Keywords, Version 16. 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). 2023. GCMD Keywords, Version 16. 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

Tags

  • crep
  • united states of america
  • reef monitoring and assessment
  • corals
  • coral reef ecosystem division
  • pifsc
  • in situ biological
  • biosphere
  • oceans
  • vatia
  • american samoa
  • numeric data sets
  • baseline studies
  • oceanography
  • biology
  • pacific islands fisheries science center
  • earth science
  • coral colony size and condition
  • benthic biology
  • reef damage assessment
  • eutrophication impacts on coral ecosystem health in vatia
  • coral diseases
  • marine biology
  • coral communities
  • cred
  • pollution
  • benthos analysis
  • transect monitoring
  • coral reef ecology
  • ocean basin
  • coral
  • vatia bay (14s170w0028)
  • coastal processes
  • coral mortality
  • tutuila island
  • zoology
  • coral reefs
  • 31090
  • pacific ocean
  • country/territory
  • belt transect
  • coral reef ecosystem program

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Categories