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

    • Marine Debris Survey and Removal Efforts in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands from 1999 to 2015 (NCEI Accession 0190879)

    Metadata Updated: December 1, 2023

    The marine debris data included in this dataset are from annual in-water surveys conducted from 1999 to 2015 at the reefs, atolls and islands in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) with funding from Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM), and NOAA's Marine Debris (MDP) and Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration (DARRP) Programs.

    These surveys and removal efforts of marine debris were conducted primarily during ship-based missions to the NWHI, and also as fly-in missions Midway. During a mission, surveys were conducted by divers based on small boats launched either from a ship or from the shore. Two survey methods were used to search for marine debris; tow and swim surveys. Tow surveys were used in the relatively even-depth (usually less than 10 meters deep), contiguous backreef habitats, typically at Midway Atoll, Kure Atoll and Pearl and Hermes Atoll. Two free-divers were towed behind a small boat to search for debris throughout the water column. Swim surveys were used primarily in the comparatively high-relief and patchy lagoonal reef habitats of Maro Reef and Pearl and Hermes Atoll. During swim surveys, two or more snorkelers swam across the reefs to search for debris while being directed by the small boats to follow pre-planned routes. Survey areas and routes were chosen based on regional reef morphology and past debris accumulation records.

    During a survey, if debris larger than 0.012 cubic meters (size of a small toolbox) was encountered, descriptive information about the debris and its location (i.e., type, color, size, biofouling, estimated depth, substrate composition/color) were recorded and a GPS waypoint was taken. Debris was removed if determined to be safe to do so and without causing damage to the surrounding coral reef habitat. Once removed, the volume of removed debris was estimated and recorded. At the end of the survey or if the small boat reached its capacity, the boat returned to the ship or to the shore and the boat's debris load was weighed and recorded. Up to 4 small boats in one day concurrently conducted surveys during a mission. Marine debris encountered outside the survey area or on land along the shoreline were also opportunistically recorded and/or removed when possible.

    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 2023-06-25T17:43:09Z
    Metadata Created Date March 12, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2023
    Reference Date(s) July 3, 2019 (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 2023-06-25T17:43:09Z
    Metadata Created Date March 12, 2021
    Metadata Updated Date December 1, 2023
    Reference Date(s) July 3, 2019 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nodc:0190879
    Access Constraints Cite as: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2019). Marine Debris Survey and Removal Efforts in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands from 1999 to 2015 (NCEI Accession 0190879). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0190879. 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 -166.11265
    Bbox North Lat 28.45414778
    Bbox South Lat 23.64915667
    Bbox West Long -178.37245
    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:0190879
    Graphic Preview Type PNG
    Harvest Object Id aee76511-38c0-41b7-8146-ce073c3ebe1c
    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": [[[-178.37245, 23.64915667], [-166.11265, 23.64915667], [-166.11265, 28.45414778], [-178.37245, 28.45414778], [-178.37245, 23.64915667]]]}
    Progress completed
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1999-10-11
    Temporal Extent End 2015-09-01

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