Identifying coral reef resilience potential in Tutuila, American Samoa based on NOAA coral reef monitoring data from 2010 to 2016

Declines in the health of coral reef ecosystems lead scientists to search for factors that support reef resilience: the ability of reefs to resist environmental stress and recover when they have been impacted, and to maintain key ecosystem functions throughout. Scientists have identified eleven measurable factors that affect the resilience of coral reefs. Reef resilience factors include characteristics of the coral assemblage, populations of fish that live on the reef, land-based influences, and sea surface temperature variability. NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) used these factors to quantitatively assess the resilience potential of reefs around Tutuila and Aunuâu Islands in American Samoa. 

Locations of monitoring surveys conducted by ESD from 2010 to 2016 were used to designate study zones. The monitoring surveys provided data to evaluate biological/ecological resilience factors, and external data sources were used to inform physical and environmental factors not directly measured by ESD. Data for each metric was compiled, normalized, and averaged to produce a composite resilience score for each of zone.  The primary resilience analysis includes all 11 metrics for 10 study zones around Tutuila and Aunu'u, excluding Taema Bank. The secondary resilience analysis includes the 8 metrics available for 11 study zones around Tutuila and Aunu'u, including Taema Bank. 

The information provided with this analysis includes the individual datasets for the 11 metrics used in the analysis (data tables), the survey sites and study zones (data tables), and the resilience scores resulting from the analysis (data tables and maps).

Tags: 810, algae, algae cover, algal cover, american samoa, american samoa (14s170w0000), anomaly, aquatic habitat, atmosphere, atmospheric phenomena, aunu'u island (14s170w0035), bacteria, belt transect, benthic habitat, benthos analysis, biosphere, black band disease, bleaching, blue-green algae, coastal processes, coral biodiversity, coral diseases, coral reef conservation program, coral reef ecosystem division, coral reef ecosystem program, coral reef studies, coral reefs, corals, country/territory, cred, crep, degree heating week (dhw), doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc, earth science, ecological characterization, ecological dynamics, ecosystem monitoring and assessment, ecosystem sciences division, esd, faga'alu (14s170w0005), fagamalo (14s170w0047), fagatele bay (14s170w0002), fish, fish assemblages, fish census, fishing, fleshy macroalgae, geographic information, global change, global warming, herbivory, human physical, hydrosphere, in situ biological, linear transect (line), marine biology, marine protected areas, microbiota, national coral reef monitoring program, national marine fisheries service, nmfs, noaa, ocean basin, ocean temperature, oceans, pacific islands fisheries science center, pacific ocean, pacific reef and assessment monitoring program (pacific ramp), pago pago (14s170w0008), pago pago harbor, photic zone corals, photograph analysis, photographic analysis, pifsc, precipitation, precipitation amount, quadrat monitoring, rapid assessment studies, recovery, reef damage assessment, reef fish census, reef habitat, reef monitoring and assessment, reefs for the future: identifying coral reef resilience in the us pacific islands based on cred cora, remote sensing, resilience, runoff, satellite (digital scans), sea surface temperature, sea surface temperature (sst), south pacific ocean, stationary, surface water, transect monitoring, tutuila, tutuila island, tutuila island (14s170w0016), u.s. department of commerce, united states of america, us doc, vatia bay (14s170w0028), vegetation, water temperature, zoology
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce