This raster denotes predicted habitat suitability for Porites in the Au'au Channel region. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modeling software was used to create this ensemble model, which is an average of 10 model replicates. MaxEnt works by analyzing the distribution of environmental variables where species are present, so it can find other areas that meet all of the same environmental constraints. Georeferenced records containing information about mesophotic coral occurrence and environmental predictors describing the seafloors depth, vertical structure, available light, surface temperature, currents and distance from shoreline were used to train MaxEnt. Model performance and accuracy were assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Area Under the Curve (AUC) and a randomly chosen, spatially independent data subset. The average test AUC for this predictive ensemble model was 0.95, and the producers accuracy of this ensemble predictive model was 85.3% (when the habitat suitability threshold = 0.07). The habitat suitability threshold of 0.07 represents the sum of the maximum ROC sensitivity and specificity values. Extreme care should be taken when selecting a habitat suitability threshold because it affects the probability of correctly identifying the presence and absence of mesophotic corals. For more information describing how this predictive surface was developed and its limitations, please see the following website: https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/projects/detail?key=48
This dataset describes the predicted distribution of Porites in the Au'au Channel region in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). Porites that live between 30 to 150 m in depth are considered to be mesophotic corals. Mesophotic corals are light-dependent corals adapted to the low light conditions at these moderate depths. Several physical factors potentially influence their spatial distribution, including aragonite saturation, alkalinity, pH, currents, water temperature, hard substrate availability and the availability of light at depth. Mesophotic corals and mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) have increasingly been the subject of scientific study because they are being threatened by a growing number of anthropogenic stressors. They are the focus of this spatial modeling effort because the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS) is exploring the expansion of its scope beyond the protection of the North Pacific Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) to include the conservation and management of these ecosystem components. The present study helps to address this need by examining the distribution of mesophotic corals in the Au'au Channel region.
This map presents data published in the following report: Costa, B.M., M.S. Kendall, J. Rooney, M. Chow, J. Lecky, F.A. Parrish, A. Montgomery, R.C. Boland, and H. Spalding. 2012. Prediction of Mesophotic Coral Distributions in the Au'au Channel, Hawaii. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 149. Prepared by the NCCOS Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment Biogeography Branch. Silver Spring, MD. 44 pp., available on https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/projects/detail?key=48
ground condition
These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. No warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the U.S. Government as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Government in the use of these data or related materials.
NOAA IRC
NMFS/PIFSC/CRED
1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176
e-mail preferred
http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pibhmc/MHI_images/MAI_PredictedPorites_445.jpg
PIBHMC, CRED, PIFSC, NOAA, JIMAR, NCCOS, CCMA, and HMRG
These data are not to be used for navigational purposes. NOAA makes no warranty regarding these data, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data, nor as a result of the failure of these data to function on a particular system.
