National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Towed-diver Surveys of Benthic Habitat, Key Benthic Species, and Marine Debris Sightings of the Marianas since 2014
The towed-diver method is used to conduct benthic surveys, assessing large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching) and quantifying benthic components such as habitat complexity/type and the general distribution and abundance patterns of live coral, crustose coralline algae (CCA), macroalgae, and macroinvertebrates. Surveys are conducted in the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). A suitable method for assessing relatively large areas of reef habitat, the method involves towing a pair of SCUBA divers—one benthic and one fish—behind a small boat for approximately 50 min following the ~15-m depth contour and covering about 2–3 km of habitat. Each diver is equipped with a towboard and attempts to maintain a constant elevation above the surface of the reef (~1 m) for the duration of the survey. A complete towed-diver survey is divided into 10, 5-min segments, with visual observations recorded by 5-min segment.
The visual estimate data provided in this dataset were collected during towed-diver surveys which includes percentage cover of total live hard corals, stressed hard corals, soft corals, sand, coralline algae, and macroalgae, and the number of individual macroinvertebrates (crown of thorns starfish (COTS), sea urchins, and giant clams). Benthic habitat complexity and type data are also collected as part of the survey with the following habitat type categories: continuous reef, spur and groove, patch reefs, rock boulders, pavement, rubble flat, sand flats, pinnacle, and wall.
The data were collected around the Marianas as part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) led missions since 2014. These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.
Complete Metadata
| @type | dcat:Dataset |
|---|---|
| accessLevel | non-public |
| contactPoint |
{
"fn": "Vargas-Angel, Bernardo",
"@type": "vcard:Contact",
"hasEmail": "mailto:bernardo.vargasangel@noaa.gov"
}
|
| describedByType | application/octet-steam |
| description | The towed-diver method is used to conduct benthic surveys, assessing large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching) and quantifying benthic components such as habitat complexity/type and the general distribution and abundance patterns of live coral, crustose coralline algae (CCA), macroalgae, and macroinvertebrates. Surveys are conducted in the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). A suitable method for assessing relatively large areas of reef habitat, the method involves towing a pair of SCUBA divers—one benthic and one fish—behind a small boat for approximately 50 min following the ~15-m depth contour and covering about 2–3 km of habitat. Each diver is equipped with a towboard and attempts to maintain a constant elevation above the surface of the reef (~1 m) for the duration of the survey. A complete towed-diver survey is divided into 10, 5-min segments, with visual observations recorded by 5-min segment. The visual estimate data provided in this dataset were collected during towed-diver surveys which includes percentage cover of total live hard corals, stressed hard corals, soft corals, sand, coralline algae, and macroalgae, and the number of individual macroinvertebrates (crown of thorns starfish (COTS), sea urchins, and giant clams). Benthic habitat complexity and type data are also collected as part of the survey with the following habitat type categories: continuous reef, spur and groove, patch reefs, rock boulders, pavement, rubble flat, sand flats, pinnacle, and wall. The data were collected around the Marianas as part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) led missions since 2014. These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. |
| distribution |
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|
| identifier | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:35769 |
| issued | 2016-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00 |
| keyword |
[
"743",
"National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
"Numeric Data Sets > Biology",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Mortality",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Photic Zone Corals",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs",
"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 > Habitats",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Hard Coral Cover",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Hard Coral Cover Dead percentage",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Hard Coral Cover Live percentage",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Macroinvertebrates",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Census",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Census > Macroinvertebrates",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Census > Population Density",
"EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Macroinvertebrates",
"CORAL",
"DEBRIS",
"DEPTH - SENSOR",
"HABITAT - BENTHIC",
"MACROINVERTEBRATE CENSUS",
"REEF AND/OR BOTTOM REGIME - PERCENT COVER",
"TEMPERATURE",
"survey",
"survey - biological",
"survey - coral reef",
"survey - swimmer/diver",
"tows",
"visual estimate",
"HI'IALAKAI",
"CORAL REEF STUDIES",
"Coral Reef Conservation Program",
"National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
"US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Aguijan > Aguijan Island (14N145E0006)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Alamagan Island > Alamagan Island (17N145E0002)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Asuncion Island > Asuncion Island (19N145E0001)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Farallon de Pajaros > Farallon de Pajaros (12N144E0001)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Guguan > Guguan Island (17N145E0001)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Maug > Maug Island (20N145E0001)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Pagan > Pagan Island (18N145E0001)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Rota > Rota Island ( Luta ) (14N145E0007)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Saipan > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Sarigan Island > Sarigan Island (16N145E0003)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Tinian > Tinian Island (14N145E0005)",
"COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Aguijan Island Reefs > Aguijan Island (14N145E0006)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Alamagan Island > Alamagan Island (17N145E0002)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Asuncion Island > Asuncion Island (19N145E0001)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Farallon de Pajaros > Farallon de Pajaros (12N144E0001)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guguan Island > Guguan Island (17N145E0001)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Mariana Archipelago > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Maug Island > Maug Island (20N145E0001)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Pagan Island > Pagan Island (18N145E0001)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Rota Island > Rota Island ( Luta ) (14N145E0007)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Saipan Island > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Sarigan Island > Sarigan Island (16N145E0003)",
"OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Tinian Island Reefs > Tinian Island (14N145E0005)",
"Marianas Trench Marine National Monument",
"NW Pacific",
"CRED",
"CREP",
"Coral Reef Ecosystem Division",
"Coral Reef Ecosystem Program",
"PIFSC",
"Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center",
"TDS",
"Towed-diver surveys",
"towboard",
"towed diver",
"Triennial",
"CNMI",
"Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands",
"Mariana Islands",
"Marianas",
"DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC > Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
"Marianas Archipelago"
]
|
| landingPage | https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/35769 |
| language |
[]
|
| license | https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ |
| modified | 2016-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00 |
| publisher |
{
"name": "Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center",
"@type": "org:Organization"
}
|
| references |
[
"https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/35769.pdf"
]
|
| rights | otherRestrictions, unclassified |
| spatial | 145.8533789,13.22982722,144.6258831,20.54979267 |
| temporal | 2014-03-25T00:00:00+00:00/2014-05-06T00:00:00+00:00 |
| title | National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Towed-diver Surveys of Benthic Habitat, Key Benthic Species, and Marine Debris Sightings of the Marianas since 2014 |
