National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Cover Derived from Analysis of Benthic Images Collected during Stratified Random Surveys (StRS) across the Mariana Archipelago since 2014

Description

The data described here result from benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago in 2014, 2017, and 2022 as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys for corals and fish. Benthic habitat imagery were quantitatively analyzed using the Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe; Kohler and Gill, 2006) software from 2010-2014 and using the web-based annotation tool CoralNet (Beijbom et al. 2016) from 2015 to present. Images are analyzed to produce three functional group levels of benthic cover: Tier 1 (e.g., hard coral, soft coral, macroalgae, turf algae, etc.), Tier 2 (e.g., Hard Coral = massive, branching, foliose, encrusting, etc.; Macroalgae = upright macroalgae, encrusting macroalgae, bluegreen macroalgae, and Halimeda, etc.), and Tier 3 (e.g., Hard Coral = Astreopora sp, Favia sp, Pocillopora, etc.; Macroalgae = Caulerpa sp, Dictyosphaeria sp, Padina sp, etc.). A stratified random sampling (StRS) design was employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems across the region. The survey domain encompassed the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0-30 m depth range. The stratification scheme included island, reef zone, and depth. Sampling effort was allocated based on strata area and sites were randomly located within strata. Sites were surveyed using photo-quadrats along transects to collect benthic imagery to ultimately produce estimates of relative abundance (benthic cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition and relative generic richness. The StRS design effectively reduces estimate variance through stratification using environmental covariates and by sampling more sites rather than sampling more transects at a site. Therefore, site-level estimates and site to site comparisons should be used with caution.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 PIFSC Administrative Report, January 2017: Analysis of benthic survey images via CoralNet : a summary of standard operating procedures and guidelines https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Benthic cover data derived from analysis of photoquadrat benthic images collected from stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago in 2022 by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. http://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0279339
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/36156
0 Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov
0 Coral Point Count with Excel Extensions (CPCe) Home Page https://cnso.nova.edu/cpce/
0 CoralNet Home Page https://coralnet.ucsd.edu/
0 NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) website. https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 Online Resource https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/pacific-islands#science
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/36156.pdf
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
0 Benthic cover data derived from analysis of photoquadrat benthic images collected from stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago in 2017 by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0176574
0 Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images at stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago in 2014 by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0159148
0 Updated classification scheme that defines categories in photoquad annotations using CoralNet. http://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0279339

Tags

  • guguan island
  • agrihan island (18n145e0002)
  • benthic communities
  • farallon de pajaros (12n144e0001)
  • crep
  • aguijan
  • coral cover
  • doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc
  • united states of america
  • western pacific ocean
  • alamagan island (17n145e0002)
  • reef monitoring and assessment
  • maug
  • asuncion island (19n145e0001)
  • aquatic habitat
  • coral reef
  • corals
  • guguan island (17n145e0001)
  • tridacna
  • benthic habitat
  • coral reef ecosystem division
  • benthic
  • marine plants
  • ecosystems
  • northern mariana islands
  • pifsc
  • photograph analysis
  • in situ biological
  • biosphere
  • photographic analysis
  • national coral reef monitoring program
  • maug island
  • rota island
  • community dynamics
  • oceans
  • algae
  • coral reef conservation program
  • rota island ( luta ) (14n145e0007)
  • marine invertebrates
  • maug island (20n145e0001)
  • benthic cover
  • northern mariana islands ( cnmi ) (18n146e0000)
  • hard coral cover
  • cnmi
  • noaa
  • guam
  • pagan island (18n145e0001)
  • numeric data sets
  • marianas
  • algal cover
  • aguijan island reefs
  • nmfs
  • macroinvertebrates
  • marine ecosystems
  • farallon de pajaros
  • sponges
  • doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/esd
  • quadrat monitoring
  • guam (13n144e0000)
  • northwest pacific
  • us doc
  • tinian island reefs
  • pacific islands fisheries science center
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • earth science
  • benthic biology
  • national marine fisheries service
  • seagrass
  • triennial
  • ocean
  • vegetation
  • ramp
  • crustose coralline algae
  • mariana archipelago
  • marine biology
  • marianas archipelago
  • coral communities
  • cred
  • mollusks
  • biological
  • encrusting macroalgae
  • guguan
  • saipan island
  • rota
  • saipan
  • marianas trench marine national monument
  • pagan
  • microbiota
  • benthos analysis
  • agrihan island
  • point counts
  • 743
  • commonwealth of the northern mariana islands
  • photograph
  • mariana islands
  • blue-green algae
  • visual estimate
  • transect monitoring
  • pagan island
  • reef habitat
  • asuncion island
  • reef assessment and monitoring program
  • coral reef ecology
  • micronesia
  • ocean basin
  • ecosystem sciences division
  • coral
  • esd
  • coastal processes
  • hi'ialakai
  • octocoral cover
  • saipan island (15n145e0002)
  • laboratory analyses
  • benthic species
  • reef
  • zoology
  • coral reefs
  • sarigan island (16n145e0003)
  • pacific ocean
  • rapid assessment studies
  • ecological dynamics
  • country/territory
  • belt transect
  • noaa ship rainier
  • tinian
  • turf algae
  • alamagan island
  • sarigan island
  • tinian island (14n145e0005)
  • coral reef studies
  • aguijan island (14n145e0006)
  • coral reef ecosystem program

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