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National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images Collected from Stratified Random Sites (StRS) across the Mariana Archipelago 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: January 01, 2023 at 12:00 AM
The data described here are benthic habitat imagery that result from benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago since 2014 as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys for corals and fish. A stratified random sampling (StRS) design was employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems across the region. The survey domain encompassed the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0-30 m depth range. The stratification scheme included island, reef zone, and depth. Sampling effort was allocated based on strata area and sites were randomly located within strata. Sites were surveyed using photo-quadrats along transects to collect benthic imagery to ultimately produce estimates of relative abundance (benthic cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition and relative generic richness. The StRS design effectively reduces estimate variance through stratification using environmental covariates and by sampling more sites rather than sampling more transects at a site. Therefore, site-level estimates and site to site comparisons should be used with caution.

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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 > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > REEF > CORAL REEF OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN > MICRONESIA > GUAM OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN > MICRONESIA > NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS CAMERA > CAMERA 743 National Coral Reef Monitoring Program

Complete Metadata
@type dcat:Dataset
accessLevel non-public
contactPoint 
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describedByType application/octet-steam
description The data described here are benthic habitat imagery that result from benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago since 2014 as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys for corals and fish. A stratified random sampling (StRS) design was employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems across the region. The survey domain encompassed the majority of the mapped area of reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0-30 m depth range. The stratification scheme included island, reef zone, and depth. Sampling effort was allocated based on strata area and sites were randomly located within strata. Sites were surveyed using photo-quadrats along transects to collect benthic imagery to ultimately produce estimates of relative abundance (benthic cover), frequency of occurrence, benthic community taxonomic composition and relative generic richness. The StRS design effectively reduces estimate variance through stratification using environmental covariates and by sampling more sites rather than sampling more transects at a site. Therefore, site-level estimates and site to site comparisons should be used with caution.
distribution 
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    "description": "Photoquadrat benthic images collected at stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago in 2014 by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP)",
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    "description": "Photoquadrat benthic images collected at stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago in 2017 by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD)",
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    "description": "SOP that describes method to collect benthic images during the surveys.",
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identifier https://data.noaa.gov/waf/NOAA/nmfs/pifsc/iso/xml/36153.xml
issued 2023-01-01T00:00:00.000+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 > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > REEF > CORAL REEF",
  "OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN > MICRONESIA > GUAM",
  "OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN > MICRONESIA > NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS",
  "CAMERA > CAMERA",
  "743",
  "National Coral Reef Monitoring Program",
  "Visual Images > Habitats",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat",
  "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 > Transect Monitoring",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis > Transect Monitoring > Belt Transect",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological",
  "EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Rapid assessment studies",
  "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",
  "HABITAT - BENTHIC",
  "PHOTOQUADRAT IMAGES",
  "coral",
  "biological",
  "imagery",
  "in situ",
  "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 > Northern Mariana Islands > Agrihan Island > Agrihan Island (18N145E0002)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Aguijan > Aguijan Island (14N145E0006)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Alamagan Island > Alamagan Island (17N145E0002)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Asuncion Island > Asuncion Island (19N145E0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Farallon de Pajaros > Farallon de Pajaros (12N144E0001)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Guguan > Guguan Island (17N145E0001)",
  "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 > Rota > Rota Island ( Luta ) (14N145E0007)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Saipan > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Sarigan Island > Sarigan Island (16N145E0003)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Tinian > Tinian Island (14N145E0005)",
  "COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Agrihan Island > Agrihan Island (18N145E0002)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Aguijan Island Reefs > Aguijan Island (14N145E0006)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Alamagan Island > Alamagan Island (17N145E0002)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Asuncion Island > Asuncion Island (19N145E0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Farallon de Pajaros > Farallon de Pajaros (12N144E0001)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guguan Island > Guguan Island (17N145E0001)",
  "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 > Rota Island > Rota Island ( Luta ) (14N145E0007)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Saipan Island > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Sarigan Island > Sarigan Island (16N145E0003)",
  "OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Tinian Island Reefs > Tinian Island (14N145E0005)",
  "Marianas Trench Marine National Monument",
  "NW Pacific (limit-180)",
  "camera",
  "HI'IALAKAI",
  "Rainier",
  "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/36153
language 
[]
license https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified 2023-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
publisher 
{
  "name": "Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center",
  "@type": "org:Organization"
}
rights otherRestrictions, unclassified
spatial 145.852711,13.22889458,144.634585,20.554051
temporal 2014-03-25T00:00:00+00:00/2014-05-07T00:00:00+00:00
theme 
[
  "geospatial"
]
title National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images Collected from Stratified Random Sites (StRS) across the Mariana Archipelago since 2014

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