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CRED Rapid Ecological Assessment Belt Surveys of Coral Population and Disease Assessment at Alamagan, Marianas in 2011

Metadata Updated: May 10, 2024

To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 20110407 to 20110509, belt transect surveys of coral population and diseases quantitative assessments were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) cruise HA1101 in Marianas at biennial intervals by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, there were 2 surveys in total conducted at REA sites around Alamagan. At the specific REA sites, coral biologists along with algal biologists and marine invertebrate zoologist entered the water and conducted a fine-scale (approximately 300 m^2) and high degree of taxonomic resolution REA survey to assess and monitor species composition, abundance, percent cover, size distribution, diversity, and general health of corals, macro-invertebrates, and algae in shallow-water (less than 35 m) habitats. As a part of REA surveys, the coral belt surveys were focused on quantifying the diversity, abundance, density, and size-class distribution of the anthozoan and hydrozoan corals as well as the condition and health state of the coral reef populations. The surveys were conducted along two consecutively-placed, 25 m transect lines. The belt width was 1 m wide, 0.5 m on each side of the transect line. Within each 25 m transect, five 2.5 m segments were surveyed (beginning at points: 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 meters), whereby in each segment, all coral colonies whose center fell within 0.5 m of either side of the transect line were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible (genus or species) and two planar size metrics were collected: maximum diameter and diameter perpendicular to the maximum diameter. In addition, the extent of mortality, both recent and old, was estimated for each colony. Observers paid special attention to identifying as best as possible the extent of the former live colony. When a coral colony exhibited signs of disease or compromised health, additional information was recorded including type of affliction (bleaching, skeletal growth anomaly, white syndrome, tissue loss other than white syndrome, trematodiasis, necrosis, other, pigmentation responses, algal overgrowth, and predation), severity of the affliction (mild, moderate, marked, severe, acute), as well as photographic documentation and occasional tissue samples. Tissue samples were cataloged and fixed in buffered zinc-formalin solution for further histopathological analyses. Raw survey data included species presence and relative abundance, colony counts per taxon, size (width and length), mortality, predation, and health status. A surveyed area was ranging from 10 m^2 to 25 m^2 per site.

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 May 5, 2024
Metadata Created Date May 10, 2024
Metadata Updated Date May 10, 2024
Reference Date(s) June 28, 2011 (publication)
Frequency Of Update ASNEEDED

Metadata Source

Harvested from CoRIS FGDC Metadata

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Date May 5, 2024
Metadata Created Date May 10, 2024
Metadata Updated Date May 10, 2024
Reference Date(s) June 28, 2011 (publication)
Responsible Party Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (Point of Contact)
Contact Email
Guid gov.noaa.crcp:alamaganbenthicreametadata2011
Access Constraints Use Constraints: Please cite CRED when using data. Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Access Constraints: None
Bbox East Long 145.85291941
Bbox North Lat 17.62106423
Bbox South Lat 17.57853664
Bbox West Long 145.8143158
Coupled Resource
Frequency Of Update ASNEEDED
Harvest Object Id a3277ac2-de1d-497b-9d6f-4261ccd198d3
Harvest Source Id d96f14c5-3e35-4b0a-a3b8-9392afeb50fa
Harvest Source Title CoRIS FGDC Metadata
Licence While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
Lineage
Metadata Language eng; USA
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[145.8143158, 17.57853664], [145.85291941, 17.57853664], [145.85291941, 17.62106423], [145.8143158, 17.62106423], [145.8143158, 17.57853664]]]}
Progress completed
Spatial Data Service Type
Spatial Reference System urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326
Spatial Harvester True
Temporal Extent Begin 2011-04-23
Temporal Extent End 2011-04-23

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