Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessing and Monitoring Cryptic Reef Diversity of Colonizing Marine Invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites across the Mariana Archipelago from 2011 to 2017

Published by Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 02, 2026 at 11:22 PM | Dataset Last Updated: January 01, 2018 at 12:00 AM
This dataset includes species identification data gathered from Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS). These ARMS are used by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) to assess and monitor cryptic reef diversity in the Marianas as part of the ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Developed in collaboration with the Census of Marine Life (CoML) Census of Coral Reef Ecosystems (CReefs), ARMS are designed to mimic the structural complexity of a reef and attract/collect colonizing marine invertebrates. The key innovation of the ARMS method is that biodiversity is sampled over precisely the same surface area in the exact same manner. This data was gathered at specific reef sites across the Marianas. At these sites, divers entered the water and deployed and/or recovered the ARMS unit. Each unit used to gather this data consists of 23 cm x 23 cm gray, PVC plates stacked in alternating series of 4 open and 4 obstructed layers and attached to a base plate of 35 cm x 45 cm that is affixed to the reef. They are designed to mimic the structural complexity of a reef and attract colonizing invertebrates. Soak times are approximately 3 years. Refer to the data to determine how long a particular unit was underwater as soak times can vary by location. Upon recovery, each ARMS unit was encapsulated, brought to the surface, disassembled and processed on-board the research ship. Disassembled plates were photographed to document recruited sessile organisms, scraped clean, and preserved in 95% ethanol for future DNA processing. Recruited motile organisms were then sieved into 3 size fractions: 2 mm, 500 um, and 100 um. The 500-um and 100-um fractions were bulked and preserved in 95% ethanol for future DNA processing. The 2-mm fraction was sorted into morphospecies. The DNA sequencing data are not included in this dataset.

Resources

4 resources available

Find Related Datasets

Search by Tags

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

743 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Numeric Data Sets > Biology EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological

Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel non-public
contactPoint 
{
  "fn": "Not provided - Contact data.gov",
  "hasEmail": "mailto:datagovsupport@gsa.gov"
}
describedByType application/octet-steam
description This dataset includes species identification data gathered from Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS). These ARMS are used by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) to assess and monitor cryptic reef diversity in the Marianas as part of the ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Developed in collaboration with the Census of Marine Life (CoML) Census of Coral Reef Ecosystems (CReefs), ARMS are designed to mimic the structural complexity of a reef and attract/collect colonizing marine invertebrates. The key innovation of the ARMS method is that biodiversity is sampled over precisely the same surface area in the exact same manner. This data was gathered at specific reef sites across the Marianas. At these sites, divers entered the water and deployed and/or recovered the ARMS unit. Each unit used to gather this data consists of 23 cm x 23 cm gray, PVC plates stacked in alternating series of 4 open and 4 obstructed layers and attached to a base plate of 35 cm x 45 cm that is affixed to the reef. They are designed to mimic the structural complexity of a reef and attract colonizing invertebrates. Soak times are approximately 3 years. Refer to the data to determine how long a particular unit was underwater as soak times can vary by location. Upon recovery, each ARMS unit was encapsulated, brought to the surface, disassembled and processed on-board the research ship. Disassembled plates were photographed to document recruited sessile organisms, scraped clean, and preserved in 95% ethanol for future DNA processing. Recruited motile organisms were then sieved into 3 size fractions: 2 mm, 500 um, and 100 um. The 500-um and 100-um fractions were bulked and preserved in 95% ethanol for future DNA processing. The 2-mm fraction was sorted into morphospecies. The DNA sequencing data are not included in this dataset.
distribution 
[
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "ARMS_Specimens_MARIAN_2014.csv",
    "accessURL": "https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0162461",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Specimens recovered by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) from ARMS units deployed across the Mariana Archipelago in 2011 and recovered in 2014.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "ARMS_Specimens_MARIAN_2017.csv",
    "accessURL": "https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0176414",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Specimens recovered by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) from ARMS units deployed across the Mariana Archipelago in 2014 and recovered in 2017.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "GCMD Keyword Forum Page",
    "accessURL": "https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2026. GCMD Keywords, Version 24. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "Full Metadata Record",
    "accessURL": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/37507",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset.",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  }
]
identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/nmfs/pifsc/iso/xml/37507.xml
issued 2018-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
[
  "743",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
  "Numeric Data Sets > Biology",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS)",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Brachyura",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Cryptobiota",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Biodiversity",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Census",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Macroinvertebrates",
  "INVERTEBRATE SPECIES",
  "SPECIES IDENTIFICATION",
  "SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - COUNT",
  "biological",
  "in situ",
  "visual estimate",
  "HI'IALAKAI",
  "CORAL REEF STUDIES",
  "Coral Reef Conservation Program",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
  "US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Maug > Maug Island (20N145E0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Pagan > Pagan Island (18N145E0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Saipan > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Mariana Archipelago > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Maug Island > Maug Island (20N145E0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Pagan Island > Pagan Island (18N145E0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Saipan Island > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)",
  "Marianas Trench Marine National Monument",
  "NW Pacific",
  "ARMS",
  "Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures",
  "ARMS",
  "Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure",
  "CRED",
  "CREP",
  "Coral Reef Ecosystem Division",
  "Coral Reef Ecosystem Program",
  "ESD",
  "Ecosystem Sciences Division",
  "PIFSC",
  "Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center",
  "RAMP",
  "Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program",
  "Triennial",
  "CNMI",
  "Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands",
  "Mariana Archipelago",
  "Mariana Islands",
  "Marianas",
  "DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC > Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "Marianas Archipelago"
]
landingPage https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/37507
language 
[]
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2018-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
{
  "name": "Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
rights otherRestrictions, unclassified
spatial 145.81567,13.24121,144.62596,20.03567
temporal 2011-04-07T00:00:00+00:00/2014-05-04T00:00:00+00:00
theme 
[
  "geospatial"
]
title National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessing and Monitoring Cryptic Reef Diversity of Colonizing Marine Invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites across the Mariana Archipelago from 2011 to 2017

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov