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National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images Collected During Photoquadrat Surveys at Climate Stations across the Mariana Archipelago since 2014

Metadata Updated: March 16, 2024

The data described here are benthic images (photographs) 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 of the Mariana Archipelago since 2014.

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. 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 images in this dataset are later analyzed by ESD to produce estimates of relative abundance (percentage of benthic cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition, and relative generic richness (documented and archived separately at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/36147).

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 February 29, 2024
Metadata Created Date July 7, 2023
Metadata Updated Date March 16, 2024
Reference Date(s) December 30, 2016 (creation), September 13, 2019 (revision), 2023 (publication)
Frequency Of Update asNeeded

Metadata Source

Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Date February 29, 2024
Metadata Created Date July 7, 2023
Metadata Updated Date March 16, 2024
Reference Date(s) December 30, 2016 (creation), September 13, 2019 (revision), 2023 (publication)
Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
Contact Email
Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:36144
Access Constraints Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images Collected During Photoquadrat Surveys at Climate Stations across the Mariana Archipelago since 2014 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/36144., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: Please cite PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data. Suggested citation: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2023: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images Collected During Photoquadrat Surveys at Climate Stations across the Mariana Archipelago since 2014, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/36144., 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 145.8166
Bbox North Lat 20.545128
Bbox South Lat 13.240901
Bbox West Long 144.6259167
Coupled Resource
Frequency Of Update asNeeded
Harvest Object Id c53f162e-18c9-4504-bda2-e387c55c623c
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 Benthic photographs were collected during photoquadrat surveys conducted at permanent sites and climate stations in coral reef habitats by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division.
Metadata Language eng
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[144.6259167, 13.240901], [145.8166, 13.240901], [145.8166, 20.545128], [144.6259167, 20.545128], [144.6259167, 13.240901]]]}
Progress onGoing
Spatial Data Service Type
Spatial Reference System
Spatial Harvester True
Temporal Extent Begin 2014-03-25
Temporal Extent End 2014-05-05

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