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    • National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessing and Monitoring Cryptic Reef Diversity of Colonizing Marine Invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites across American Samoa from 2012 to 2018

    Metadata Updated: October 19, 2024

    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 American Samoa 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 American Samoa. 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.

    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 October 3, 2024
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date October 19, 2024
    Reference Date(s) 2017 (creation), January 7, 2020 (revision), 2020 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Graphic Preview

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date October 3, 2024
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date October 19, 2024
    Reference Date(s) 2017 (creation), January 7, 2020 (revision), 2020 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:37505
    Access Constraints Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessing and Monitoring Cryptic Reef Diversity of Colonizing Marine Invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites across American Samoa from 2012 to 2018 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/37505., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: Please cite PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division when using the data. Suggested citation: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2020: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Assessing and Monitoring Cryptic Reef Diversity of Colonizing Marine Invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites across American Samoa from 2012 to 2018, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/37505., Distribution Liability: 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.
    Bbox East Long -168.13783
    Bbox North Lat -14.152125
    Bbox South Lat -14.55962
    Bbox West Long -170.81192
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Graphic Preview File http://origin-apps-pifsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/cred/images/arms_install_sm.jpg
    Graphic Preview Type JPEG
    Harvest Object Id 7ca57c35-3231-4ef1-ad8e-485f2ba5f4ed
    Harvest Source Id c0beac72-5f43-4455-8c33-1b345fbc2dfe
    Harvest Source Title NMFS PIFSC
    Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
    Lineage Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) are assembled, deployed on the benthos for 1-3 years during which time they are colonized with marine organisms, recovered and processed as described below. The > 2-mm organisms are identified and counted, and the data is recorded in an MS Access database. The smaller fractions are sent for genomic analysis, although those data are not included with this dataset. This data can be found through it’s respective metadata record in the “Related Items” section below.”
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-170.81192, -14.55962], [-168.13783, -14.55962], [-168.13783, -14.152125], [-170.81192, -14.152125], [-170.81192, -14.55962]]]}
    Progress underDevelopment
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System EPSG::4326
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2012-04-03
    Temporal Extent End 2015-03-26

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