Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
20120228
CRED REA Line Point Intercept Surveys of Benthic Parameter Assessments at Tutuila Island, American Samoa in 2010
spreadsheet
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/coral-reefs-pacific
To support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems, from 17-28 February, line point intercept (LPI) surveys of benthic parameter assessments were conducted, as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA), during the Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) Cruise HI1001 in American Samoa at biennial intervals by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). During the cruise, 23 REA sites were surveyed at Tutuila Island in the American Samoa.
Benthic biologists from NOAA's Coral Reef Ecosystem Division conducted Line Point Intercept surveys to quantitatively document the benthic cover at pre-determined long-term monitoring REA sites. Two linear 25M transects were surveyed with a 5M inter-transect region between the end of Transect 1 and the start of Transect 2. The LPI diver determines the benthic composition at 20cm intervals for a total of 125 data points per transect. All living benthic elements (e.g., coral, algae, and other invertebrates) were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible, often substituting functional group categories for turf algae and crustose coralline algae when identification in the field was extremely difficult. In cases where the substrate is bare or covered with turf algae, the substrate composition is also noted as either sand, rock, rubble, carbonate pavement, or dead coral.
These data allow for the assessment and monitoring of species composition and abundance and provide the basis for computing quantitative estimates of percent cover at higher taxonomic levels like functional group (live Coral, macroalgae, turf algae) or on a finer taxonomic resolution such as genus level.
Part of a long-term monitoring program at biennial intervals which documents the state of the reefs.
Maximum depth was 22 meters.
Benthic cover parameters observed:
Year Region_List Island BenthicName
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Pavement/Turf
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Pavement/Coralline algae
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Montipora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila crustose coralline red algae
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Halimeda fragilis
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Porites rus
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Peyssonnelia sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Rubble/turfalgae
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Acropora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Sand
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Porites sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Cheilosporum sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Halimeda sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Pavona varians
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Dead/Turf algae
2010 SAMOA Tutuila non-geniculate calcified branched red algae
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Pocillopora eydouxi
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Galaxea sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Montastrea sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Peyssonnelia boerjesenii
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Sponge
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Pocillopora meandrina
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Lobophora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Leptastrea sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Montipora angulata
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Echinopora lamellosa
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Cladiella sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Pocillopora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Dead/coralline algae
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Stylophora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Dictyosphaeria versluysii
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Montastrea curta
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Leptastrea purpurea
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Palythoa sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Cyphastrea sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Cyanobacteria
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Astreopora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Rubble/coralline algae
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Echinopora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Favia stelligera
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Favia sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Millepora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Renouxia sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Sinularia sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Acanthastrea sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Leptoria sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Favites sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Isopora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Fungia sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Octocoral
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Pavona sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Coscinaraea sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Psammocora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Platygyra sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Default Value
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Chlorodesmis sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Goniastrea sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Coscinaraea columna
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Dictyota sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Dictyosphaeria sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Goniastrea retiformis
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Jania sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Echinoderm
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Neomeris annulata
2010 SAMOA Tutuila corallimorph
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Hydnophora sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Lobophyton sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Lobophyllia sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Bryopsis pennata
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Sarcophyton sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Amphiroa sp
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Montipora foveolata
2010 SAMOA Tutuila Dichotomaria marginata
20100217
20100228
Ground condition
asNeeded
-170.8612764
-170.5045149
-14.22005532
-14.38281981
NCEI Geoportal FilterCoRIS_MetadataCRCP ProjectPacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP): Biennial monitoring for the U.S. Pacific Islands and Atolls1221
None
Marine Ecosystem
Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP)
Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA)
Coral Reef Ecosystem
Benthic Cover
American Samoa
Tutuila Island
HI1001
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus
EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs
EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral reef ecology
EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment
EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Rapid assessment studies
CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus
Numeric Data Sets > Biology
ISO 19115 Topic Category
biota
002
None
South Pacific
American Samoa
Tutuila Island
CoRIS Place Thesaurus
OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > American Samoa > Tutuila Island (14S170W0016)
COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > Tutuila Island (14S170W0016)
CoRIS Region
AmSam
Data are available two years following data collection date
Please cite CRED when using the data. Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
mailing and physical address
NOAA IRC
NMFS/PIFSC/CRED
1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
808 725-5360
808 725-5429
nmfs.pic.credinfo@noaa.gov
e-mail preferred
Rodney Withall, Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Sciences Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA
Not applicable
Unclassified
Not applicable
Oracle
The benthic cover parameter observations were made by a single diver who is a benthic ecologist. The benthic cover assessment surveys are conducted one time per site per survey year; it is not replicated.
The same methods of data collection were used at each of the sites surveyed at this location, and were conducted by the same scientist.
The survey sites were selected to be representative of the dominant habitats at this reef system.
GPS unit
1
Instrument parameters
Dive computer and SCUBA depth gauge
0.3
Instrument parameters
REA surveys are investigations that provide a high degree of taxonomic resolution for coral, algae, and other macroinvertebrate communities. The majority of REA surveys were conducted along the forereef slopes of individual islands at depths between 10 and 20 m. However, additional habitats including lagoonal-type patch reef and offshore oceanic banks were surveyed when they existed.
During REA surveys, biological assessment teams follow highly structured protocols that are repeated at each REA site. Upon arrival at an REA site, divers entered the water and deployed two 25M transect lines which are shared with coral surveys that gather community structure, diversity, recruitment, and health status data. The sampling effort takes between 60 and 80 min to complete.
The selection of REA sites was made in close consultation with Coral Reef Advisory Group (CRAG) and local agencies. Factors considered during REA site selection included: (1) ensuring a range of sample sites representative of the benthic and reef fish habitats around each island; (2) selecting a mixture of sites within and outside of marine protected areas; (3) selecting a mixture of both 'impacted' and 'least impacted' sites; (4) selecting some sites adjacent to local villages, and (5) selecting a number of sites that could be compared to and complement previous assessment and monitoring work as well as future coral reef monitoring proposed by CRAG and local agencies. It is important to note that access to REA sites can be limited by wave exposure, weather conditions, and other environmental factors such as currents, which can affect the ability to resurvey sites between years.
Transect placement was guided by: (1) a focus on hard-bottom communities; (2) deploying lines along an isobath to the extent possible at each site, and (3) laying the transect lines into the prevailing current.
Unknown
0.0001
0.0001
Decimal Degrees
World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84)
Geodetic Reference System 80 (GRS80)
6378137
298.2572236
Local surface
1
meters
Explicit Depth Coordinate Included with Horizontal Coordinates
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
mailing and physical address
NOAA IRC
NMFS/PIFSC/CRED
1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
808 725-5360
808 725-5429
nmfs.pic.credinfo@noaa.gov
e-mail preferred
Offline Data
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.
XLS (Microsoft Excel worksheet)
CDROM, or email
ISO 9660
None if receiving the data online
Contact CRED data management team for information
Contact CRED data management team for information
20190526
20100916
Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
mailing and physical address
NOAA IRC
NMFS/PIFSC/CRED
1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176
Honolulu
HI
96818
USA
808 725-5360
808 725-5429
nmfs.pic.credinfo@noaa.gov
e-mail preferred
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
FGDC-STD-001-1998
20100916021513
None
20100217
20100228
https://www.coris.noaa.gov/metadata/records/html/cred_rea_benthiclpi_tutuila_2010.html
4973