National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images Collected from Climate Stations across American Samoa since 2015

The data described here are benthic images (photographs) collected during photoquadrat surveys conducted by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD, formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The photoquadrat surveys were conducted at coral reef sites according to protocols established by ESD and NCRMP during ESD-led NCRMP missions to American Samoa since 2015.

SCUBA divers conducted benthic photoquadrat surveys at permanent sites established in coral reef habitats by ESD. A select number of these sites were chosen in hard-bottom habitat at ~15-m depths, and a subset of the permanent sites (climate stations) were established at north, south, east, and west points around each of the islands. The divers estimated and delineated each site's rectangular perimeter by temporarily placing measuring tapes with 1-m markers starting from a permanently installed reference stake on the reef. Along the nearshore 10-m side of the survey site and the downslope 5-m side, the measuring tapes marked every meter of the L-shaped 15-m transect used for photoquadrat documentation. The divers photographed the reef at 1-m intervals on both sides of the 15-m tape, generating 30 photographs per survey site.

The benthic images in this dataset are later analyzed by ESD to produce estimates of relative abundance (percentage of benthic cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition, and relative generic richness (documented and archived separately at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25383).

Tags: 743, american samoa, american samoa (14s170w0000), aquatic habitat, benthic, benthic biology, benthic habitat, biosphere, camera, cameras, central pacific ocean, climate change, coastal processes, coral, coral communities, coral reef, coral reef conservation program, coral reef ecology, coral reef ecosystem division, coral reef ecosystem program, coral reef studies, coral reefs, corals, country/territory, cred, crep, doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc, doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/esd, earth science, ecosystem sciences division, ecosystems, esd, habitat - benthic, habitats, hi'ialakai, imagery, in situ, in situ biological, manu'a group, marine biology, marine ecosystems, national coral reef monitoring program, national marine fisheries service, nmfs, noaa, ocean, ocean basin, ocean chemistry, oceans, ofu (14s169w0002), ofu island, ofu island (14s169w0013), olosega (14s169w0016), olosega island, olosega island (14s169w0014), pacific islands fisheries science center, pacific ocean, pacific reef and assessment monitoring program, photograph, photoquadrat images, pifsc, rainier, ramp, reef, reef assessment and monitoring program, reef habitat, reef monitoring and assessment, rose atoll (14s168w0001), rose atoll marine national monument, south pacific ocean, swains atoll (11s171w0001), ta'u island (14s169w0012), triennial, tutuila island (14s170w0016), u.s. department of commerce, united states of america, us doc, visual images, zoology
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce