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    • Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: benthic images collected during belt transect surveys in 2020 (NCEI Accession 0259389)

    Metadata Updated: December 1, 2023

    The benthic images provided here are part of the CRCP-funded project aimed at establishing baseline Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys for coral reef benthic cover and composition at Faga'alu Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa. In 2020, the survey implemented a one -stage stratified random sampling (StRS) design to assess the Faga'alu benthic coral reef community. 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 cardinal position (i.e., north and south), reef zone (i.e., backreef and forereef), and depth (i.e., shallow: >0–6 m and mid-depth: >6–18 m). Sampling effort allocation was determined based on strata area and sites randomly located within strata. The StRS design effectively reduces estimate variance through stratification using environmental covariates and by sampling more sites rather than more transects per site. Therefore, site-to-site comparisons should proceed with caution.

    In 2020, thirty images were collected along one, haphazardly laid, 30-m transects. Still photographs were collected to record the benthic community composition at predetermined points along belt transect with a high-resolution digital camera mounted on a pole. Photographs were taken every 1 m from the 1 m to the 30 m mark. This work generates 30 photographs per site, which are later analyzed by ESD staff and partners using the computer program CoralNet. This analysis is the basis for estimating benthic cover and composition at each site, which is accessible on a separate NCEI accession.

    Survey protocols followed the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program methodologies historically implemented by NOAA's Ecosystem Sciences Division.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date 2023-04-30T14:16:50Z
    Metadata Created Date March 17, 2023
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2023
    Reference Date(s) September 12, 2022 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Preview graphic

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date 2023-04-30T14:16:50Z
    Metadata Created Date March 17, 2023
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2023
    Reference Date(s) September 12, 2022 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nodc:0259389
    Access Constraints Cite as: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2022). Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: benthic images collected during belt transect surveys in 2020 (NCEI Accession 0259389). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0259389. Accessed [date]., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
    Bbox East Long -170.672613
    Bbox North Lat -14.28678
    Bbox South Lat -14.293791
    Bbox West Long -170.681125
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview Description Preview graphic
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/gfx?id=gov.noaa.nodc:0259389
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Harvest Object Id 6f25da7b-c4a8-4b8f-a7cd-66834ffe5b97
    Harvest Source Id c084a438-6f6b-470d-93e0-16aeddb9f513
    Harvest Source Title NOAA/NESDIS/ncei/accessions
    Licence accessLevel: Public
    Lineage
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-170.681125, -14.293791], [-170.672613, -14.293791], [-170.672613, -14.28678], [-170.681125, -14.28678], [-170.681125, -14.293791]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2020-01-15
    Temporal Extent End 2020-01-24

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