Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Cover from Annotated Benthic Images Collected During Photoquadrat Surveys at Climate Stations across the Pacific Remote Island Areas since 2014

Published by Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Catalog Last Checked: August 02, 2026 at 11:21 PM | Dataset Last Updated: March 01, 2024 at 12:00 AM
This data has been combined into a US Pacific-wide InPort record: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/78600. The coral reef benthic community data described here result from the annotation (classification) of benthic images collected during photoquadrat surveys conducted by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD, formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The photoquadrat surveys were conducted at coral reef sites according to protocols established by ESD and NCRMP during ESD-led NCRMP missions to the islands and atolls of the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA) from 2014, 2018, and 2023. SCUBA divers conducted benthic photoquadrat surveys at permanent sites established in coral reef habitats by ESD. A select number of these sites were chosen in hard-bottom habitat at ~15-m depths, and a subset of the permanent sites (climate stations) were established at north, south, east, and west points around each of the islands and atolls. The divers estimated and delineated each site's rectangular perimeter by temporarily placing measuring tapes with 1-m markers starting from a permanently installed reference stake on the reef. Along the nearshore 10-m side of the survey site and the downslope 5-m side, the measuring tapes marked every meter of the L-shaped 15-m transect used for photoquadrat documentation. The divers photographed the reef at 1-m intervals on both sides of the 15-m tape, generating 30 photographs per survey site. The benthic habitat images were quantitatively analyzed using Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe; Kohler and Gill, 2006) software from 2010-2014 and the web-based annotation tool, CoralNet (Beijbom et al. 2015), from 2015 to present. Ten points were randomly overlaid on each image and human analysts identified the organism or type of substrate beneath, with 300 annotations (points) generated per site. Benthic elements falling under each point were identified to genus/morphology for hard corals, and to genus/functional group for algae, invertebrates, and other taxa following Lozada-Misa et al. (2017). In general, the analysis resulted in three levels of benthic community data, including taxa group Tier 1 (e.g., coral, soft coral, macroalgae, turf algae, etc.), Tier 2 (e.g., Coral = massive hard coral, branching hard coral, foliose hard coral, encrusting hard coral, etc.; Macroalga = upright macroalgae), and Tier 3 (e.g., Coral = Astreopora sp, Favia sp, Pocillopora, etc.; Macroalgae = Caulerpa sp, Dictyosphaeria sp, Padina sp, etc.). If Tier 3 resolution is not possible, the next finest resolution is used.. These benthic data can ultimately be used to produce estimates of relative abundance (percentage of benthic cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition, and relative generic richness.

Resources

8 resources available

  • MV_BIA_CNET_ANALYSIS_DATA PRIAs 2015.csv

    TEXT/HTML
    Visit Page

  • MV_BIA_PERC_COVER_PHOTO_CLI_RW PRIAs 2014.csv

    TEXT/HTML
    Visit Page

  • BENTHIC_COVER_PRIAs_CLIMATE_2018.csv

    TEXT/HTML
    Visit Page

  • MV_BIA_CNET_ANALYSIS_DATA_CLIMATE_Wake_2017.csv

    TEXT/HTML
    Visit Page

  • PIFSC_H-17-02_2017_SOP_ImageAnalysis_CN.pdf

    TEXT/HTML
    Visit Page

  • NCRMP_BIA_CNET_CLIMATE_PRIAS_2023

    TEXT/HTML
    Visit Page

  • GCMD Keyword Forum Page

    TEXT/HTML
    Visit Page

  • Full Metadata Record

    TEXT/HTML
    Visit Page

Find Related Datasets

Search by Tags

Click any tag below to search for similar datasets

DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC/ESD > Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY DYNAMICS EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > REEF > CORAL REEF 743 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Numeric Data Sets > Benthic EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat

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 data has been combined into a US Pacific-wide InPort record: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/78600. The coral reef benthic community data described here result from the annotation (classification) of benthic images collected during photoquadrat surveys conducted by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD, formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The photoquadrat surveys were conducted at coral reef sites according to protocols established by ESD and NCRMP during ESD-led NCRMP missions to the islands and atolls of the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA) from 2014, 2018, and 2023. SCUBA divers conducted benthic photoquadrat surveys at permanent sites established in coral reef habitats by ESD. A select number of these sites were chosen in hard-bottom habitat at ~15-m depths, and a subset of the permanent sites (climate stations) were established at north, south, east, and west points around each of the islands and atolls. The divers estimated and delineated each site's rectangular perimeter by temporarily placing measuring tapes with 1-m markers starting from a permanently installed reference stake on the reef. Along the nearshore 10-m side of the survey site and the downslope 5-m side, the measuring tapes marked every meter of the L-shaped 15-m transect used for photoquadrat documentation. The divers photographed the reef at 1-m intervals on both sides of the 15-m tape, generating 30 photographs per survey site. The benthic habitat images were quantitatively analyzed using Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe; Kohler and Gill, 2006) software from 2010-2014 and the web-based annotation tool, CoralNet (Beijbom et al. 2015), from 2015 to present. Ten points were randomly overlaid on each image and human analysts identified the organism or type of substrate beneath, with 300 annotations (points) generated per site. Benthic elements falling under each point were identified to genus/morphology for hard corals, and to genus/functional group for algae, invertebrates, and other taxa following Lozada-Misa et al. (2017). In general, the analysis resulted in three levels of benthic community data, including taxa group Tier 1 (e.g., coral, soft coral, macroalgae, turf algae, etc.), Tier 2 (e.g., Coral = massive hard coral, branching hard coral, foliose hard coral, encrusting hard coral, etc.; Macroalga = upright macroalgae), and Tier 3 (e.g., Coral = Astreopora sp, Favia sp, Pocillopora, etc.; Macroalgae = Caulerpa sp, Dictyosphaeria sp, Padina sp, etc.). If Tier 3 resolution is not possible, the next finest resolution is used.. These benthic data can ultimately be used to produce estimates of relative abundance (percentage of benthic cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition, and relative generic richness.
distribution 
[
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "MV_BIA_CNET_ANALYSIS_DATA PRIAs 2015.csv",
    "accessURL": "https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0159152",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images at NCRMP climate stations and permanent sites across the Pacific Remote Island Areas in 2015 by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP)",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "MV_BIA_PERC_COVER_PHOTO_CLI_RW PRIAs 2014.csv",
    "accessURL": "https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0159145",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images at NCRMP climate stations and permanent sites across Wake Island in 2014 by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP)",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "BENTHIC_COVER_PRIAs_CLIMATE_2018.csv",
    "accessURL": "https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0239474",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images at NCRMP climate stations and permanent sites across the Pacific Remote Island Areas in 2018 by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD)",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "MV_BIA_CNET_ANALYSIS_DATA_CLIMATE_Wake_2017.csv",
    "accessURL": "https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0202300",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Benthic community data from annotated benthic images collected during photoquadrat surveys at permanent sites and climate stations at Wake Atoll of the Pacific Remote Island Areas in 2017 by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD).",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "PIFSC_H-17-02_2017_SOP_ImageAnalysis_CN.pdf",
    "accessURL": "https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "PIFSC Administrative Report, January 2017: Analysis of benthic survey images via CoralNet : a summary of standard operating procedures and guidelines",
    "describedByType": "application/octet-stream"
  },
  {
    "@type": "dcat:Distribution",
    "title": "NCRMP_BIA_CNET_CLIMATE_PRIAS_2023",
    "accessURL": "https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0290628",
    "mediaType": "text/html",
    "description": "Image analysis data derived from photoquadrat benthic images at NCRMP climate stations and permanent sites across the Pacific Remote Island Areas in 2023 by the NOAA Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD)",
    "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/36148",
    "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/36148.xml
issued 2016-12-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
keyword 
[
  "DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC/ESD > Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY DYNAMICS",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > REEF > CORAL REEF",
  "743",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
  "Numeric Data Sets > Benthic",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Microbiota > Blue-green Algae",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Crustose Coralline Algae",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Encrusting Macroalgae",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Turf Algae",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Photographic Analysis",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Benthic biology",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Macroinvertebrates",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Chemistry > Climate Change",
  "BENTHIC COMMUNITIES",
  "BENTHIC SPECIES",
  "BENTHIC SPECIES - TAXA IDENTITIES",
  "machine-learning algorithm",
  "photograph",
  "benthic",
  "other",
  "visual estimate",
  "HI'IALAKAI",
  "RAINIER",
  "CORAL REEF STUDIES",
  "Coral Reef Conservation Program",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
  "Pacific Reef and Assessment Monitoring Program",
  "US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Baker Island (00N176W0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Howland Island (00S176W0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Jarvis Island (00S160W0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Johnston Atoll (16N169W0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Kingman Reef (06N162W0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Palmyra Atoll (05N162W0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Wake Atoll (19N167E0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Baker Island > Baker Island (00N176W0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Howland Island > Howland Island (00S176W0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Johnston Atoll > Johnston Atoll (16N169W0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Line Islands > Jarvis Island (00S160W0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Line Islands > Kingman Reef (06N162W0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Line Islands > Palmyra Atoll (05N162W0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Wake Atoll > Wake Atoll (19N167E0001)",
  "Central Pacific Ocean",
  "Equatorial Pacific Ocean",
  "Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument",
  "CRED",
  "CREP",
  "Coral Point Count",
  "Coral Reef Ecosystem Division",
  "Coral Reef Ecosystem Program",
  "CoralNet",
  "ESD",
  "Ecosystem Sciences Division",
  "PIFSC",
  "Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center",
  "RAMP",
  "Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program",
  "robot-assisted annotations",
  "PRIA",
  "PRIMNM",
  "Pacific Remote Island Areas",
  "DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC > Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce",
  "Pacific Remote Island Areas"
]
landingPage https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/36148
language 
[]
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2024-03-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
{
  "name": "Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
rights otherRestrictions, unclassified
spatial -159.97881,-0.38241,-176.624,16.76343
temporal 2014-03-16T00:00:00+00:00/2014-03-19T00:00:00+00:00
theme 
[
  "geospatial"
]
title National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Cover from Annotated Benthic Images Collected During Photoquadrat Surveys at Climate Stations across the Pacific Remote Island Areas since 2014

data.gov

An official website of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services

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