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.

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) long-term coral reef monitoring from 2011-10-01 to 2014-09-30 (NCEI Accession 0129268)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: January 29, 2026 | Last Modified: 2015-07-28T00:00:00.000+00:00
Currently, the LTMMP has ~50 long-term monitoring sites across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota that are surveyed on a rotating biennial basis. Three main habitat types are covered: Fore reef, reef flat (lagoon), and seagrass beds (lagoon). Most sites have been selected based on their association with management concerns (runoff, sewage outfalls, urban development, etc.) and/or management actions (watershed restorations efforts, marine protected areas, etc.) and include impacted sites and relatively non-impacted reference sites. In general, monitoring surveys are conducted using standard and proven ecological field survey methods. All surveys are conducted along 3-5, 50 m transect lines laid out along the depth contour (~9m depth) on the fore reef, or along consistent habitat in the lagoon (back reef and seagrass). While benthic cover analysis provides the foundation of the CNMI monitoring program, the current protocol uses several survey types per site to provide ecological depth beyond percent cover. Fore Reef Photos are taken every meter along each transect line using a 0.25m2 quadrat frame, for a total of 250 photos at each site. In the office, the computer program CPCe is used to place five random points on each photo and the biota or substrate type under each point is identified. Organisms are identified to the genus level. This analysis provides benthic percent cover and community diversity. Twelve, 3 minute, 5 m radius stationary point counts (SPC) are conducted at each site to evaluate fish assemblages. Each SPC is systematically positioned throughout the length of a site (250 m). The species and size (fork length) of all food fishes within the 5 meter radius are recorded. This provides relative diversity, abundances, species compositions, size class distribution, and biomass of the fish community. Sixteen 0.25m2 quadrats are haphazardly tossed along the length of the site and every coral colony within the quadrats is identified to the species level and measured. This method provides relative diversity, abundances, species composition, and size class of the coral community. Within these same quadrats, all algae species present are identified to the species level to provide a measure of algae community composition and species richness. Finally, non-coral macro-invertebrates including sea cucumbers, urchins, crown-of-thorns starfish, giant clams, among others, are identified and counted within 1 m of each side of the transect lines (i.e., 5, 2mx50m belt transects). This provides invertebrate abundances, species composition, and diversity. Saipan Lagoon Saipan Lagoon habitats that are monitored include Halodule uninervis beds, staghorn Acropora thickets, and mixed coral back reefs. At lagoon sites, benthic cover is quantified using a 0.25 m2 string quadrat with six intersections, placed every meter along the transect line. The biota or substrate under each intersection is recorded to the genus level, in situ. Additionally, 10, 1 m2 quads are haphazardly placed across the length of the site (250 m) and all seagrass, algae, coral, and macro-invertebrates are identified to the species level and recorded. This method captures the relative diversity, abundance, and species compositions of lagoon communities. Finally, non-coral macro-invertebrate abundances and diversity are quantified as described above for reef slope sites.

Resources

6 resources available

Find Related Datasets

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

0129268 CORAL - CENSUS CORAL - COLONY SIZE CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION FISH - CORAL REEF FISH BIOMASS FISH CENSUS FISH SPECIES HABITAT - BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE CENSUS REEF AND/OR BOTTOM REGIME - PERCENT COVER swimmer/diver visual estimate visual observation biological in situ survey - coral reef survey - swimmer/diver Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Division of Environmental Quality Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Division of Environmental Quality Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) CORAL REEF STUDIES Northwest Pacific Ocean (limit-180) Philippine Sea oceanography DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > REEF > CORAL REEF EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES > COASTAL LANDFORMS > CORAL REEFS VISUAL OBSERVATIONS > VISUAL OBSERVATIONS OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN P58ETC

Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel non-public
contactPoint 
                                            {
  "fn": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "vcard:Contact",
  "hasEmail": "mailto:ncei.info@noaa.gov"
}
describedByType application/octet-steam
description Currently, the LTMMP has ~50 long-term monitoring sites across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota that are surveyed on a rotating biennial basis. Three main habitat types are covered: Fore reef, reef flat (lagoon), and seagrass beds (lagoon). Most sites have been selected based on their association with management concerns (runoff, sewage outfalls, urban development, etc.) and/or management actions (watershed restorations efforts, marine protected areas, etc.) and include impacted sites and relatively non-impacted reference sites. In general, monitoring surveys are conducted using standard and proven ecological field survey methods. All surveys are conducted along 3-5, 50 m transect lines laid out along the depth contour (~9m depth) on the fore reef, or along consistent habitat in the lagoon (back reef and seagrass). While benthic cover analysis provides the foundation of the CNMI monitoring program, the current protocol uses several survey types per site to provide ecological depth beyond percent cover. Fore Reef Photos are taken every meter along each transect line using a 0.25m2 quadrat frame, for a total of 250 photos at each site. In the office, the computer program CPCe is used to place five random points on each photo and the biota or substrate type under each point is identified. Organisms are identified to the genus level. This analysis provides benthic percent cover and community diversity. Twelve, 3 minute, 5 m radius stationary point counts (SPC) are conducted at each site to evaluate fish assemblages. Each SPC is systematically positioned throughout the length of a site (250 m). The species and size (fork length) of all food fishes within the 5 meter radius are recorded. This provides relative diversity, abundances, species compositions, size class distribution, and biomass of the fish community. Sixteen 0.25m2 quadrats are haphazardly tossed along the length of the site and every coral colony within the quadrats is identified to the species level and measured. This method provides relative diversity, abundances, species composition, and size class of the coral community. Within these same quadrats, all algae species present are identified to the species level to provide a measure of algae community composition and species richness. Finally, non-coral macro-invertebrates including sea cucumbers, urchins, crown-of-thorns starfish, giant clams, among others, are identified and counted within 1 m of each side of the transect lines (i.e., 5, 2mx50m belt transects). This provides invertebrate abundances, species composition, and diversity. Saipan Lagoon Saipan Lagoon habitats that are monitored include Halodule uninervis beds, staghorn Acropora thickets, and mixed coral back reefs. At lagoon sites, benthic cover is quantified using a 0.25 m2 string quadrat with six intersections, placed every meter along the transect line. The biota or substrate under each intersection is recorded to the genus level, in situ. Additionally, 10, 1 m2 quads are haphazardly placed across the length of the site (250 m) and all seagrass, algae, coral, and macro-invertebrates are identified to the species level and recorded. This method captures the relative diversity, abundance, and species compositions of lagoon communities. Finally, non-coral macro-invertebrate abundances and diversity are quantified as described above for reef slope sites.
distribution 
                                            [
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NCEI Dataset Landing Page",
    "mediaType": "placeholder/value",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.",
    "downloadURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0129268",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-steam"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Descriptive Information",
    "mediaType": "placeholder/value",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.",
    "downloadURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/oas/129268",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-steam"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "HTTPS",
    "mediaType": "placeholder/value",
    "description": "Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.",
    "downloadURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/download/129268",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-steam"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "FTP",
    "mediaType": "placeholder/value",
    "description": "These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).",
    "downloadURL": "ftp://ftp-oceans.ncei.noaa.gov/nodc/archive/arc0077/0129268/",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-steam"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "GCMD Keyword Forum Page",
    "mediaType": "placeholder/value",
    "description": "Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 21. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords",
    "downloadURL": "https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-steam"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NCEI Contact Information",
    "mediaType": "placeholder/value",
    "description": "Information for contacts at NCEI.",
    "downloadURL": "https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-steam"
  }
]
identifier gov.noaa.nodc:0129268
issued 2015-06-08T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
                                            [
  "0129268",
  "CORAL - CENSUS",
  "CORAL - COLONY SIZE",
  "CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION",
  "FISH - CORAL REEF",
  "FISH BIOMASS",
  "FISH CENSUS",
  "FISH SPECIES",
  "HABITAT - BENTHIC",
  "MACROINVERTEBRATE CENSUS",
  "REEF AND/OR BOTTOM REGIME - PERCENT COVER",
  "swimmer/diver",
  "visual estimate",
  "visual observation",
  "biological",
  "in situ",
  "survey - coral reef",
  "survey - swimmer/diver",
  "Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Division of Environmental Quality",
  "Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Division of Environmental Quality",
  "Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)",
  "CORAL REEF STUDIES",
  "Northwest Pacific Ocean (limit-180)",
  "Philippine Sea",
  "oceanography",
  "DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > FISH",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > REEF > CORAL REEF",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > SOLID EARTH > GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES > COASTAL LANDFORMS > CORAL REEFS",
  "VISUAL OBSERVATIONS > VISUAL OBSERVATIONS",
  "OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN",
  "P58ETC"
]
landingPage https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact
language 
                                            []
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2015-07-28T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
                                            {
  "name": "NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
rights otherRestrictions
spatial 145.731622,14.044759,145.394442,15.333033
temporal 2011-10-01T00:00:00+00:00/2014-09-30T00:00:00+00:00
title Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) long-term coral reef monitoring from 2011-10-01 to 2014-09-30 (NCEI Accession 0129268)

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

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