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Benthic Images from Stratified Random Site (StRS) Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands During the 2019 Bleaching Event

Published by Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 02, 2026 at 11:23 PM | Dataset Last Updated: January 01, 2022 at 12:00 AM
Data provided in his dataset are benthic habitat imagery that result from benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites surveyed across the Main Hawaiian Islands during the 2019 bleaching event. The data were collected by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) during a multi-institutional effort by the Hawaii Coral Bleaching Collaborative (HCBC) to build a comprehensive dataset of the spatial extent and severity of bleaching in the Hawaiian Archipelago during the peak of the forecasted 2019 coral bleaching event. These photo-quadrat surveys were conducted during shore-based missions and at each site, rapid visual assessments were also conducted to provide information on live coral cover and the percentage and average severity that was bleached, as well as taxa-specific metrics (live cover and the percentage and severity that was bleached). A stratified random sampling (StRS) design was employed to select random sites. The survey domain encompassed the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0-30 m depth range. The stratification scheme included island, reef zone, and depth in all regions, as well as habitat structure type in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Sampling effort was allocated based on strata area and sites were randomly located within strata. Sites were surveyed using photo-quadrats along transects to collect benthic imagery to ultimately produce estimates of relative abundance (percent cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition and relative generic richness. The StRS design effectively reduces estimate variance through stratification using environmental covariates and by sampling more sites rather than sampling more transects at a site. Therefore, site-level estimates and site to site comparisons should be used with caution. The benthic images can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

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31283 Hawaii coral bleaching assessment and analysis Visual Images > Habitats EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Rapid assessment studies EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs

Complete Metadata
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accessLevel non-public
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describedByType application/octet-steam
description Data provided in his dataset are benthic habitat imagery that result from benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites surveyed across the Main Hawaiian Islands during the 2019 bleaching event. The data were collected by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) during a multi-institutional effort by the Hawaii Coral Bleaching Collaborative (HCBC) to build a comprehensive dataset of the spatial extent and severity of bleaching in the Hawaiian Archipelago during the peak of the forecasted 2019 coral bleaching event. These photo-quadrat surveys were conducted during shore-based missions and at each site, rapid visual assessments were also conducted to provide information on live coral cover and the percentage and average severity that was bleached, as well as taxa-specific metrics (live cover and the percentage and severity that was bleached). A stratified random sampling (StRS) design was employed to select random sites. The survey domain encompassed the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0-30 m depth range. The stratification scheme included island, reef zone, and depth in all regions, as well as habitat structure type in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Sampling effort was allocated based on strata area and sites were randomly located within strata. Sites were surveyed using photo-quadrats along transects to collect benthic imagery to ultimately produce estimates of relative abundance (percent cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition and relative generic richness. The StRS design effectively reduces estimate variance through stratification using environmental covariates and by sampling more sites rather than sampling more transects at a site. Therefore, site-level estimates and site to site comparisons should be used with caution. The benthic images can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.
distribution 
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    "title": "MHI_PQ_Bleaching_2019",
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    "description": "Photoquadrat benthic images collected at stratified random sites (StRS) across the Main Hawaiian Islands by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) during the 2019 bleaching surveys.",
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    "description": "Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2026. GCMD Keywords, Version 24. 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",
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identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/nmfs/pifsc/iso/xml/59193.xml
issued 2022-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
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  "Hawaii coral bleaching assessment and analysis",
  "Visual Images > Habitats",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals",
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  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Rapid assessment studies",
  "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 > Marine Biology > Coral",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities",
  "PHOTOQUADRAT IMAGES",
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  "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 > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Honolulu > Oahu (21N157W0003)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Lanai Island (20N156W0002)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Maui Island (20N156W0004)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027)",
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  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii Island > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Lanai Island > Lanai Island (20N156W0002)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Maui Island > Maui Island (20N156W0004)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Oahu Island > Oahu (21N157W0003)",
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  "Main Hawaiian Islands",
  "DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC > Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
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language 
[]
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2022-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
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rights otherRestrictions, unclassified
spatial -155.88832,19.31344,-158.13522,21.70428
temporal 2019-10-08T00:00:00+00:00/2019-11-14T00:00:00+00:00
theme 
[
  "geospatial"
]
title Benthic Images from Stratified Random Site (StRS) Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands During the 2019 Bleaching Event

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