Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

This site is currently in beta, and your feedback is helping shape its ongoing development.

Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: benthic cover derived from line-point intercept (LPI) surveys in August 2012

Published by Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: December 19, 2025 | Last Modified: 2017-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
The data described here were collected in Faga'alu, American Samoa in August 2012 via line-point intercept (LPI) surveys by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP). At each survey site, a SCUBA diver quantitatively documented the benthic composition at 20-cm intervals along two 25-m transects for a total of 125 data points per transect. All living benthic elements (e.g., coral, algae, and other sessile invertebrates) were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Raw survey data consist of counts of benthic elements, including but not limited to coral, carbonate pavement, sand, rubble, macroalgae, crustose coralline algae, turf algae, as well as other sessile invertebrates along the two transects. The data allows for the assessment and monitoring of community structure and composition, and provide the basis for computing quantitative estimates of benthic cover (%) at higher taxonomic levels like functional group (coral, macroalgae, turf algae) or on a finer taxonomic resolution such as genus level. These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. Additionally, coral demographic surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2015 and coral surveys in 2012, photoquadrat benthic images were collected in 2012 and 2015, and the 2015 images were analyzed for benthic cover composition (all documented and archived separately).

Find Related Datasets

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

917 American Samoa Comprehensive baseline assessment and pilot test of outcome performance measures in Faga'alu Bay Numeric Data Sets > Benthic EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Algal Cover EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Crustose Coralline Algae EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Encrusting Macroalgae EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Fleshy Macroalgae EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Turf Algae EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Baseline studies EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis > Transect Monitoring EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Benthic biology EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Coral Cover EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Hard Coral Cover EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Octocoral Cover REEF AND/OR BOTTOM REGIME - PERCENT COVER survey - swimmer/diver CORAL REEF STUDIES Coral Reef Conservation Program US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > Tutuila Island > Faga'alu (14S170W0005) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Pago Pago Harbor > Faga'alu (14S170W0005) South Pacific Ocean CRED CREP Coral Reef Ecosystem Division Coral Reef Ecosystem Program LPI Line-point intercept PIFSC Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center benthic cover DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC > Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Benthic Missions

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov