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Benthic Surveys in Aua, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys from 2022-09-12 to 2022-09-22 (NCEI Accession 0277490)

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 03, 2026 at 04:20 AM | Dataset Last Updated: June 08, 2023 at 12:00 AM
This dataset includes coral demographic data of Aua Reef, American Samoa, generated from observations by divers of the Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). Benthic coral demographic surveys were conducted within belt transects of specified length and width for two life stages (juveniles and adults) in Aua, American Samoa in September 2022. Surveys were conducted at 18 randomly-selected sites and provide information on adult coral colony counts, morphology, size, partial mortality (old and recent dead), presence of disease and other compromised health conditions, including bleaching. Juvenile colony surveys include morphology and size. Taxonomic identification of adult colonies is to the species level (where possible) and genus level for juveniles. The survey design and site selection of stratified-random sites (StRS) follows protocols established by the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Data from benthic surveys of Aua Reef establishes a comprehensive biological baseline for land-based sources of pollution impacts on benthic composition and coral demography. These efforts feed into the higher-level CRCP objectives by establishing an in-situ tracking system to assess the effects of management and mitigation strategies and activities in the target watersheds to reduce land-based sources of pollution impacts on coral reefs.

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0277490 biological data CORAL CORAL - CENSUS CORAL - COLONY SIZE CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION swimmer/diver visual observation

Complete Metadata
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describedByType application/octet-steam
description This dataset includes coral demographic data of Aua Reef, American Samoa, generated from observations by divers of the Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). Benthic coral demographic surveys were conducted within belt transects of specified length and width for two life stages (juveniles and adults) in Aua, American Samoa in September 2022. Surveys were conducted at 18 randomly-selected sites and provide information on adult coral colony counts, morphology, size, partial mortality (old and recent dead), presence of disease and other compromised health conditions, including bleaching. Juvenile colony surveys include morphology and size. Taxonomic identification of adult colonies is to the species level (where possible) and genus level for juveniles. The survey design and site selection of stratified-random sites (StRS) follows protocols established by the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Data from benthic surveys of Aua Reef establishes a comprehensive biological baseline for land-based sources of pollution impacts on benthic composition and coral demography. These efforts feed into the higher-level CRCP objectives by establishing an in-situ tracking system to assess the effects of management and mitigation strategies and activities in the target watersheds to reduce land-based sources of pollution impacts on coral reefs.
distribution 
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identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions/iso/xml/0277490.xml
issued 2023-04-05T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
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language 
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license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2023-06-08T00:00:00.000+00:00
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rights otherRestrictions
spatial -170.665,-14.2881,-170.669,-14.2717
temporal 2022-09-12T00:00:00+00:00/2022-09-22T00:00:00+00:00
theme 
[
  "geospatial"
]
title Benthic Surveys in Aua, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys from 2022-09-12 to 2022-09-22 (NCEI Accession 0277490)

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