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  • National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images Collected from Stratified Random Sites (StRS) across American Samoa since 2015

    Metadata Updated: September 22, 2023

    The data described here are benthic habitat imagery (photographs) from benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD)--formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division--as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The photo-quadrat surveys are part of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys for corals and fish conducted during ESD-led NCRMP missions to American Samoa from 2015 to 2018.

    A stratified random sampling (StRS) design was employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems at each of the islands/atolls in American Samoa. 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 (30 photos per site) to ultimately produce estimates of relative abundance (percent 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.

    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 May 30, 2023
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date September 22, 2023
    Reference Date(s) 2016-12 (creation), 2019-03 (revision), 2019 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date May 30, 2023
    Metadata Created Date November 12, 2020
    Metadata Updated Date September 22, 2023
    Reference Date(s) 2016-12 (creation), 2019-03 (revision), 2019 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:25247
    Access Constraints Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images Collected from Stratified Random Sites (StRS) across American Samoa since 2015 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25247., Access Constraints: None | Use Constraints: Please cite PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data. Example: Ecosystem Sciences Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2019). National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Images from Stratified Random Sites (StRS) across American Samoa since 2015. NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25247 | 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 -168.1373351
    Bbox North Lat -11.04525081
    Bbox South Lat -14.56050273
    Bbox West Long -171.0925737
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Harvest Object Id 3be5e73d-48a3-4bb5-b04d-5969d57677ca
    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 The stratified random sampling (StRS) design and benthic photoquadrat survey methodology, employed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division since 2013. Benthic imagery is collected at stratified random sites. These photos are color-corrected (if necessary) prior to analysis. The data management team also uses a optical validation script to re-name photos and enforce several validation checks.
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-171.0925737, -14.56050273], [-168.1373351, -14.56050273], [-168.1373351, -11.04525081], [-171.0925737, -11.04525081], [-171.0925737, -14.56050273]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2015-02-15
    Temporal Extent End 2015-03-26

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