CRED Towed-Diver Benthic Characterization Survey at Swains, American Samoa in 2012

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Metadata:


Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator:
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Publication_Date: 20120723
Title:
CRED Towed-Diver Benthic Characterization Survey at Swains, American Samoa in 2012
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: spreadsheet
Online_Linkage:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/surveying-vast-ocean
Description:
Abstract:
To support NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) long-term goals for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, towed-diver surveys (aka. towboard surveys) were conducted by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) as part of the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruises. 10 towboard surveys (19.61 km in length), were conducted at Swains during the American Samoa RAMP Cruise HA1201 from 20120227 to 20120325. Towboard surveys are a good method for obtaining a general description of large reef areas, assessing the status of low-density populations of large-bodied reef fish, large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching), general distribution and abundance patterns of macro-invertebrates (e.g., Crown of Thorns sea stars, giant clams), and for assessing trends in these populations and metrics. A pair of scuba divers (1 fish and 1 benthic diver) are towed 60 m behind a small survey launch at a speed of 1-2 knots and a depth of approximately 15 m. Each survey is 50 min long, covers about 2 km of habitat, and is divided into ten 5-minute survey segments. The fish diver records, to the lowest possible taxon, all large-bodied reef fishes (greater than 50 cm total length) seen within 5 m either side and 10 m in front of the towboard. Length of each individual is estimated to the nearest cm. The fish towboard is also outfitted with a forward-facing digital video camera to record the survey swath. The benthic diver records percent cover of coral and macroalgae, estimates benthic habitat type and complexity, and censuses a suite of benthic macroinvertebrates including Crown of Thorns sea stars and sea urchins. The benthic towboard is equipped with a downward-facing digital still camera which images the benthos at 15-second intervals. These images are analyzed for percent cover of coral, algae, and other benthic components. Both towboards are equipped with SEABIRD SBE-39 temperature/depth sensors set to record at 5-second intervals. Latitude and longitude of each survey track is recorded at 5-second intervals using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver onboard the tow boat. A layback algorithm is applied to more accurately map the position of the divers with respect to the reef environment. This algorithm calculates the position of the divers based on the position of the tow boat taking into account the length of the tow rope, the depth of the divers, and the curvature of the survey track. This metadata applies to the benthic characterization observations.
Purpose:
Part of a long-term monitoring program which documents the state of the reefs.
Supplemental_Information:
The benthic characterization observation data includes benthic composition, complexity estimations, observed macro-invertebrates, and observed man-made objects. Classification of habitat complexity was recorded in six categories: low (L), medium-low (ML), medium (M), medium-high (MH), high (H), and very high (VH). Benthic cover was estimated for four different types of substrate: hard substrate/pavement, sand, rubble, and live hard (scleractinian) coral. The time of the benthic digital photos were set to the GMT time. There are approximately 200 pictures for each 50-minute towed survey track. The resolution at "Draft" quality (the lowest) is 72 pixels/inch. The resolution at "Best" quality (the highest) is 266 pixels/inch. The naming convention of benthic photos is ***MMDDYY_X_###.JPG, where *** is 3-letter abbreviation of the island or bank surveyed, MMDDYY is the local date of the towboard survey, X is the Xth dive on the day, and ### is the sequence number of the pictures taken for that particular dive. As an example, JAR032106_3_108.JPG means the picture was the 108th picture taken on 3rd dive of March 21, 2006 at Jarvis Island.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 20120321
Ending_Date: 20120323
Currentness_Reference: Ground Condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: asNeeded
Spatial_Domain:
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -171.09253491
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -171.06381769
North_Bounding_Coordinate: -11.04526278
South_Bounding_Coordinate: -11.06861582
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: NCEI Geoportal Filter
Theme_Keyword: CoRIS_Metadata
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CRCP Project
Theme_Keyword:
Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Monitoring coral reef ecosystems of the US Pacific Islands and Atolls
Theme_Keyword: 587
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: Marine Ecosystem
Theme_Keyword: Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP)
Theme_Keyword: Towed Diver Surveys
Theme_Keyword: Coral Reef
Theme_Keyword: Benthic Habitat
Theme_Keyword: American Samoa
Theme_Keyword: Swains
Theme_Keyword: HA1201
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: Numeric Data Sets > Biology
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Theme Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral reef ecology
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral reef ecology > Habitats
Theme_Keyword:
EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment
Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: biota
Theme_Keyword: 002
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: American Samoa
Place_Keyword: Swains
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Place Thesaurus
Place_Keyword:
OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > American Samoa > Swains Atoll (11S171W0001)
Place_Keyword:
COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > Swains Atoll (11S171W0001)
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: CoRIS Region
Place_Keyword: AmSam
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
Please cite CRED when using data. Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: NOAA IRC
Address: NMFS/PIFSC/CRED
Address: 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176
City: Honolulu
State_or_Province: HI
Postal_Code: 96818
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 808 725-5360
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 808 725-5429
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: nmfs.pic.credinfo@noaa.gov
Contact_Instructions: e-mail preferred
Data_Set_Credit:
Jacob Asher, Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED); Marie Ferguson, Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED)
Security_Information:
Security_Classification_System: Not applicable
Security_Classification: Unclassified
Security_Handling_Description: Not applicable
Native_Data_Set_Environment: Oracle

Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
Observations were made by divers who are expert coral reef ecologist. Surveying in this habitat will greatly depend on the current, wave conditions, and field scheduling. The towed-diver survey is conducted one time per site per survey year; it is not replicated. Divers may change from year to year and by location.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
The same data collection protocols were used at each island or bank surveyed.
Completeness_Report:
The towboard surveys are completed in forereef, backreef, and lagoon habitats. The minimum spatial resolution of the towboard survey is the 5-minute survey segment which covers approximately 200 m. As such, these surveys are appropriate for broad estimates but can not be used for fine scale, site-level data analysis.
Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report:
Although resource grade GPS units were used and a layback model was applied to the survey tracks, the exact survey positions were not physically marked and effort was not made to re-visit exact same tracks.
Quantitative_Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Assessment:
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Value: 1
Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Explanation: Instrument parameters
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy:
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report: SeaBird SBE-39 temp/depth recorder
Quantitative_Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Assessment:
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Value: 0.3
Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Explanation: Instrument parameters
Lineage:
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
The towboard survey involves a pair of scuba divers who are towed 60 m behind a small boat at a constant speed (~1.5 knots). The towboard survey is typically 50-min long and covers about 2 km of habitat, depending on the depth profile of the divers. The survey is divided into ten 5-min segments. During the survey, the fish diver records, to the lowest possible taxon, large fishes observed within a survey swath 5 m to either side of the diver and 10 m in front the diver.
Process_Date: Unknown

Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Geographic:
Latitude_Resolution: 0.0001
Longitude_Resolution: 0.0001
Geographic_Coordinate_Units: Decimal Degrees
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84)
Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80 (GRS80)
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.2572236
Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Depth_System_Definition:
Depth_Datum_Name: Local surface
Depth_Resolution: 1
Depth_Distance_Units: meters
Depth_Encoding_Method: Explicit Depth Coordinate Included with Horizontal Coordinates

Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Contact_Position: Data Manager
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: NOAA IRC
Address: NMFS/PIFSC/CRED
Address: 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176
City: Honolulu
State_or_Province: HI
Postal_Code: 96818
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 808 725-5360
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 808 725-5429
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: nmfs.pic.credinfo@noaa.gov
Contact_Instructions: e-mail preferred
Resource_Description: Offline Data
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.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: xls (Microsoft Excel worksheet) or csv (comma-separated values)
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Offline_Option:
Offline_Media: CD-ROM or email
Recording_Format: ISO 9660
Fees: None if receiving the data online
Custom_Order_Process: Contact CRED data management team for information
Technical_Prerequisites: Contact CRED data management team for information

Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20190605
Metadata_Review_Date: 20120906
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization:
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical address
Address: NOAA IRC
Address: NMFS/PIFSC/CRED
Address: 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176
City: Honolulu
State_or_Province: HI
Postal_Code: 96818
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 808 725-5360
Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 808 725-5429
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: nmfs.pic.credinfo@noaa.gov
Contact_Instructions: e-mail preferred
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

CoRIS:
CoRIS_ID: 20120906070059
CoRIS_Children: None
CoRIS_Beginning_Date: 20120321
CoRIS_Ending_Date: 20120323
CoRIS_Metadata_Link:
https://www.coris.noaa.gov/metadata/records/html/cred_metadata_benthic_tow_swa_2012.html
CoRIS_Tracking_ID: 6550

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