Benthic, urchin, and fish observation data collected utilizing multiple methodologies for coral reef carbonate budget assessments in 2021 in O'ahu, in the Mariana Archipelago in 2022, and in American Samoa in 2023

This data package includes the benthic, urchin, and fish observation data collected for coral reef carbonate budget assessments by the Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) of NOAA's Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) at fixed sites around O'ahu in 2021, across the Marianas Archipelago in 2022, and at two fixed sites in American Samoa in 2023. These data were collected as part of a three-year methods development and pilot project funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) in order to establish a standardized carbonate budget methodology for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) in the U.S. Pacific Islands. Observational data were collected at the same sites using established Indo-Pacific ReefBudget methodology (Perry et al. 2018), as well as experimental methodologies that leverage existing NCRMP data streams (see lineage section below for additional details on data collection methodologies). Benthic survey data (genus/species, morphology, and surface distance of corals, crustose coralline algae, macroalgae, and other benthic components) and urchin survey data (genus/species, test size, and abundance of bioeroding urchins) were collected using Indo-Pacific Reef Budget-style transects, "chords" transects located within the 12-m diameter circular footprint covered by NCRMP Structure-from-Motion imagery, and virtual transects in fixed site Structure-from-Motion models. Fish survey data (genus/species, count, and size) were collected using Indo-Pacific ReefBudget belt transects, stationary point count surveys conducted at fixed sites, and averaging stationary point count survey data using stratified random survey design around a set distance of the fixed sites. 

The raw data in this data package (urchin, benthic cover, parrotfish belt, fish SPC) was utilized with referential databases to calculate coral reef carbonate project estimates for Pacific regions as part to the CRCP Project #31334, titled 'Developing a carbonate budget assessment methodology for the U.S. Pacific Islands'. The referential database used for grazing metrics of herbivorous fishes of the Pacific is already archived with NCEI with its metadata accessible under 'Related Items' of this InPort metadata record.  The referential database for calcification rates developed  for the Pacific is accessible along with scripts for this project at the github repository: https://github.com/hannahbarkley/reefbudgetR/tree/main

Tags: 31334, algae, algal cover, american samoa, american samoa (14s170w0000), and reef demographics, aquatic habitat, belt transect, benthic, benthic biology, benthic communities habitat, benthic habitat, benthic species, benthic species - taxa identities, benthos analysis, biodiversity, bioerosion, biological, biological data, biology, biomass, biosphere, calcareous macroalgae, calcification, calcification rate, carbonate budgets, census, central pacific ocean, coastal processes, coastal waters of hawaii, coral, coral - species identification, coral biodiversity, coral communities, coral growth, coral reef, coral reef assessment, 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, developing a carbonate budget assessment methodology for the u.s. pacific islands, doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc, doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/esd, earth science, ecosystem sciences division, ecosystems, encrusting macroalgae, erosion, esd, fagatele bay (14s170w0002), fish - coral reef, fish biomass, fish erosion, fish species, fleshy macroalgae, foraging metrics, guam, guam (13n144e0000), habitat, habitat - benthic, hard coral cover, hawaii, hawaiian islands, honolulu, hydrography, in situ, in situ biological, invertebrate species, latitude, linear extension rate, linear growth rate, linear transect (line), longitude, macroalgae, macroinvertebrate census, macroinvertebrate communities, macroinvertebrate density and species richness, macroinvertebrates, marianas trench marine national monument, marine biology, marine ecosystems, marine invertebrates, maug, maug island, maug island (20n145e0001), micronesia, national marine fisheries service, net ecosystem calcification, nmfs, noaa, northern mariana islands, northwest pacific, numeric data sets, oahu, oahu (21n157w0003), oahu island, ocean, ocean and climate change, ocean basin, oceans, pacific islands fisheries science center, pacific ocean, pagan, pagan island, pagan island (18n145e0001), parrotfish bioerosion, pifsc, planar bioerosion, position - geographic, rainier, rainier integrates charting, rapid ecological assessment, rea, reef, reef and/or bottom regime - percent cover, reef fish census, reef habitat, reef monitoring and assessment, reefbudget, richard, rose atoll (14s168w0001), rose atoll marine national monument, rugosity, saipan, saipan island, saipan island (15n145e0002), small boat, south pacific ocean, spc, species identification, species identification - organism length, species identity, stationary, stationary point count, substrate description, survey, survey - biological, survey - coral reef, survey - swimmer/diver, taxon cover, transect monitoring, transect percent cover, transect survey, turf algae, tutuila island, tutuila island (14s170w0016), u.s. department of commerce, united states of america, us doc, vegetation, visual estimate, visual observation, western pacific ocean, zoology
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce