Description
In 2010 the village of Fagamalo, Tutuila, American Samoa, designated a no-take Marine Protected Area that sees the protection of 2.25 square kilometers of ocean. Because little is known regarding the status of living marine communities in the area, and at the request of the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, NOAA scientists conducted surveys to assess the status of the benthic communities and establish a baseline against which to compare temporal change.
The benthic cover data described here were generated from the quantitative analysis of photoquadrat benthic images using image analysis software, whereby random points are projected on each image and the benthic elements falling directly underneath each point are identified. The images were collected at 18 randomly selected stratified sites in Fagamalo in 2015 during belt transect surveys of coral demography by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP).
The benthic cover data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. The benthic images and coral demography data are described and archived separately.
Resources
| Name | Format | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| MV_BIA_CNET_ANALYSIS_DATA_FAGAMALO_2015.csv | Unknown | Benthic cover data derived from analysis of benthic images collected during belt transect surveys conducted by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) in Fagamalo, Tutuila, American Samoa in 2015. | Open resource |
| MV_BIA_CNET_ANALYSIS_DATA_FAGAMALO_2015.csv | Unknown | Benthic cover data derived from analysis of benthic images collected during belt transect surveys conducted by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) in Fagamalo, Tutuila, American Samoa in 2015. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | CoralNet home page. The online tool used to analyze the benthic images for benthic cover. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Unknown | CoralNet home page. The online tool used to analyze the benthic images for benthic cover. | Open resource |
| Citation URL | Summary Report of Baseline Surveys for Benthic and Fish Communities in the Fagamalo No-Take Marine Protected Area, American Samoa, prepared by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) and submitted to the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR). | Open resource | |
| Citation URL | Summary Report of Baseline Surveys for Benthic and Fish Communities in the Fagamalo No-Take Marine Protected Area, American Samoa, prepared by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) and submitted to the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR). | 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 |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
Tags
- 1083
- algae
- algal cover
- american samoa
- aquatic habitat
- baseline studies
- belt transect
- benthic
- benthic biology
- benthic habitat
- benthic missions
- benthos analysis
- biosphere
- coastal processes
- coral cover
- coral reef conservation program
- coral reef ecology
- coral reef ecosystem division
- coral reef ecosystem monitoring training and capacity building to support improved resource manageme
- coral reef ecosystem program
- coral reefs
- coral reef studies
- corals
- country/territory
- cred
- crep
- crustose coralline algae
- doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc
- earth science
- ecosystem sciences division
- encrusting macroalgae
- fagamalo (14s170w0047)
- fleshy macroalgae
- hard coral cover
- national marine fisheries service
- nmfs
- noaa
- numeric data sets
- ocean basin
- oceans
- octocoral cover
- pacific islands fisheries science center
- pacific ocean
- photographic analysis
- pifsc
- reef and/or bottom regime - percent cover
- reef habitat
- reef monitoring and assessment
- south pacific ocean
- transect monitoring
- turf algae
- tutuila island
- united states of america
- u.s. department of commerce
- us doc
- vegetation
- zoology