Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content
  • Feedback

    • Macroinvertebrate belt transect survey data collected by the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program from 2010-08-06 to 2024-11-19 (NCEI Accession 0228762)

    Metadata Updated: January 1, 2026

    The data in this package include macroinvertebrate belt transect survey data collected collected at High Priority Reef Areas (HPRAs) by the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program (GLTMP) between 2010 and 2024. GLTMP biologists counted the number of individuals of commercially and ecologically important macroinvertebrate species within a 4 m x 30 m belt transect (4 x 25 m prior to 2017) at all sampling stations within the HPRAs (except at the Western Shoals stations, where 4 m x 15 m belts were used). The longest dimension of Tridacna individuals was also recorded; these measurements are not included in this dataset but can be provided upon request. Boring urchins, small sea stars, and other small or cryptic taxa were excluded from the survey beginning in 2020. Observations queried from a Microsoft SQL server database were reformatted using a custom R script prior to submission to NCEI. The reformatted data set includes zero counts for all taxa not detected during the survey at each sampling station. These data were collected using a split-panel sampling approach, whereby a mix of permanent and non-permanent sampling stations (one sampling station = one transect) were visited within each HPRA. The HPRAs were selected by an advisory body comprised of reef managers, researchers, and technicians. The HPRAs were not selected randomly from around the island and thus should not be considered representative of reef condition at the island-scale. While the general location of each HPRA was selected based on management priority, the site boundaries were delineated using bathymetry and benthic habitat data within ArcGIS; the locations of the sampling stations were generated randomly within each site’s boundaries using ArcGIS. The macroinvertebrate belt transect surveys, as well as benthic photo transect, reef fish SPC, and rugosity surveys are carried out on an annual basis along the seaward slope between 7 and 15 m depth in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve and in East Agana Bay, while surveys are carried out biennially within the Piti Bomb Holes Marine Preserve, the Achang Reef Flat Marine Preserve, the eastern side of the Cocos Barrier Reef (Cocos-East), and Fouha Bay. Surveys were also carried at along reef margin (1-2 m) and slope (2-15 m) of Western Shoals, in Apra Harbor, in 2011. The GLTMP has conducted surveys at the Tumon and East Agana HPRAs since 2010 and the Piti HPRA since 2012. Data collection for the Achang and Cocos-East HPRAs began in 2014 and at the Fouha Bay HPRA in 2015. Baseline data is available for the Western Shoals HPRA from 2011 but this site has not been re-visited since its establishment due to shifting management priorities.

    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.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date 2025-12-16T12:57:12Z
    Metadata Created Date April 16, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date January 1, 2026
    Reference Date(s) April 16, 2021 (publication), May 19, 2025 (revision), April 9, 2021 (creation)
    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 2025-12-16T12:57:12Z
    Metadata Created Date April 16, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date January 1, 2026
    Reference Date(s) April 16, 2021 (publication), May 19, 2025 (revision), April 9, 2021 (creation)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nodc:0228762
    Access Constraints Cite as: Burdick, David R.; Brown, Valerie; Drake, Diona; Idechong, Jacques; Gault, Jordan; Deinhart, Mari; Lozada, Paula; Miller, Roxanna; Reynolds, Travis (2021). Macroinvertebrate belt transect survey data collected by the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program from 2010-08-06 to 2024-11-19 (NCEI Accession 0228762). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/80wj-h893. 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 144.798279
    Bbox North Lat 13.51677795
    Bbox South Lat 13.236125
    Bbox West Long 144.653677
    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:0228762
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Harvest Object Id f8ad8ed2-29dd-489c-8883-4a5527ebd4ba
    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": [[[144.653677, 13.236125], [144.798279, 13.236125], [144.798279, 13.51677795], [144.653677, 13.51677795], [144.653677, 13.236125]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2010-08-06
    Temporal Extent End 2024-11-19

    Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.