National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Methodological Case Study for 'Downscaling Ecological Trends from the Spatially Randomized Datasets' in the Main Hawaiian Islands, 2005-2016

The data described here result from the application of a down-scaling method to NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) benthic cover data, in an attempt by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) to make NCRMP data maximally useful to reef managers.

ESD scientists took benthic cover data from the Main Hawaiian Islands from 2005-2016 and applied a statistical technique based on contiguous clustering and mixed model analysis to discover an optimal reporting sector for NCRMP data (Oliver et al 2020). Specifically, clusters were identified based on NCRMP benthic cover data collected by ESD from 4 survey methods (towed diver, line point intercept, and photoquadrat surveys in which benthic images were analyzed either using CoralNet or CPCe) and then the optimal size and number of spatial sectors was assessed to generate reporting sector assignments that balanced minimal size against maximal ecological homogeneity and statistical power. These assignments are recorded in the dataset along with the source benthic cover observations, including live hard coral cover, soft coral cover, crustose coralline algae cover, macroalgal and turf algae cover, sediment cover, and all other categories are binned into "other".

Tags: 1221, 31249, 587, 743, algae, algal cover, aquatic habitat, benthic, benthic biology, benthic habitat, benthos analysis, biosphere, c204 pacific reef assessment and monitoring program (pacific ramp): biennial monitoring for the us p, central pacific ocean, coastal processes, coastal waters of hawaii, coral cover, 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, crustose coralline algae, derived products, doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc, downscaling, downscaling reef resilience, earth science, ecosystem sciences division, esd, hard coral cover, hawaii, hawaii (21n160w0000), hawaii island, hawaii island (19n155w0003), hawaiian archipelago, hawaiian islands, hawaiian islands (21n157w0027), honolulu, kauai, kauai island, kauai island (22n159w0001), lanai island, lanai island (20n156w0002), main hawaiian islands, maui, maui island, maui island (20n156w0004), mhi, molokai island, molokai island (21n157w0001), national coral reef monitoring program, national marine fisheries service, ncrmp, niihau island, niihau island (21n160w0001), nmfs, noaa, north pacific ocean, numeric data sets, oahu (21n157w0003), oahu island, ocean basin, oceans, octocoral cover, pacific islands fisheries science center, pacific ocean, pacific reef and assessment monitoring program, pacific reef assessment and monitoring program: monitoring coral reef ecosystems of the us pacific i, photographic analysis, pifsc, ramp, reef and/or bottom regime - percent cover, reef assessment and monitoring program, reef habitat, reef monitoring and assessment, u.s. department of commerce, united states of america, us doc, vegetation, zoology
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce