Supportive observations were made during all monitoring cruises. Observations included dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, and light intensity. Thermographs and light meters have also been deployed to provide continuous recordings of benthic temperature and light incidence. To record areal coverage of coral and leafy algae, stratified random transects are run. Twenty 10-m stratified random transects are photographed at each of the two study sites.
Divers descend to random locations to start photography.
Seventeen adjacent photographs are taken along each transect using a camera framer. The divers then swim a random distance and heading to the next transect. A total of 20 of these transects are photographed on each reef during each cruise. In the lab, objects from the photography are planimetered and percent cover data acquired. Data are gathered for all coral species, leafy algae, and other appropriate organisms.