National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic cover derived from analysis of images collected during stratified random surveys (StRS) across the Mariana Archipelago

The benthic cover data in this collection result from the analysis of images produced by benthic photo-quadrat surveys. These surveys were conducted along transects at stratified random sites across the Mariana Archipelago as a part of the ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Benthic cover data and the associated images are both included in this collection.

A stratified random sampling (StRS) design was employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems throughout 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. The imagery were then analyzed to produce estimates of relative abundance (percent cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition, and relative generic richness.

Benthic habitat imagery were quantitatively analyzed using Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe; Kohler and Gill, 2006) software in 2014 and a web-based annotation tool called CoralNet (Beijbom et al. 2015) thereafter. In general, 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.).

Tags: 3mtc8m, 743, 9ym82d, agrihan island, agrihan island (18n145e0002), aguihan, aguihan island (aguijan) (14n145e0006), aguihan island reefs, alamagan island, alamagan island (17n145e0002), algae, algal cover, aquatic habitat, asuncion island, asuncion island (19n145e0001), baseline studies, belt transect, benthic, benthic biology, benthic habitat, benthos analysis, biosphere, blue-green algae, cnmi, coastal processes, commonwealth of the northern mariana islands, coral, coral communities, coral cover, coral reef ecology, coral reef ecosystem division, coral reef ecosystem program, coral reefs, corals, country/territory, cred, crep, crustose coralline algae, cuck3r, earth science, ecosystem sciences division, encrusting macroalgae, esd, farallon de pajaros, farallon de pajaros (20n144e0001), guam, guam (13n144e0000), guguan, guguan island, guguan island (17n145e0001), h9cjxr, habitats, hard coral cover, hard coral cover live percentage, in situ biological, linear transect (point), m6g3tx, macroinvertebrates, mariana archipelago, mariana islands, marianas, marine biology, marine invertebrates, marine plants, maug, maug island, maug island (20n145e0001), microbiota, mollusks, national coral reef monitoring program (ncrmp), northern mariana islands, northern mariana islands ( cnmi ) (18n146e0000), numeric data sets, ocean basin, oceanography, oceans, octocoral cover, pacific islands fisheries science center, pacific ocean, pagan, pagan island, pagan island (18n145e0001), photograph analysis, photographic analysis, pifsc, quadrat monitoring, ramp, rapid assessment studies, reef asessment and monitoring program, reef assessment and monitoring program, reef habitat, reef monitoring and assessment, rota, rota island, rota island ( luta ) (14n145e0007), saipan, saipan island, saipan island (15n145e0002), sarigan island, sarigan island (16n145e0003), seagrass, sponges, tinian, tinian island (14n145e0005), tinian island reefs, transect monitoring, tridacna, triennial, turf algae, united states of america, vegetation, visual images, western pacific ocean, yc0h9t, zoology
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce