National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Cover Derived from Analysis of Benthic Images Collected during Stratified Random Surveys (StRS) across the Hawaiian Archipelago in 2013 (NCEI Accession 0159140)

• Main Authors: Bernardo Vargas-Angel, Kohler, K.E., Gill, S.M., O. Beijbom, P. J. Edmunds, C. Roelfsema, J. Smith, D. I. Kline, B. Neal, M. J. Dunlap, V. Moriarty, T-Y. Fan, C-J. Tan, S. Chan, T. Treibitz, A. Gamst, B. G. Mitchell, D. Kriegman
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: NOAA NCEI Environmental Data Archive 2017
• Subjects: DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NODC > National Oceanographic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; DOC/NOAA/NMFS > National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce; 0159140; 159140; REEF AND/OR BOTTOM REGIME - PERCENT COVER; laboratory analysis; laboratory analyses; HI'IALAKAI; US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP); CORAL REEF STUDIES; National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP); Pacific Reef and Assessment Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP); Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary; Kaneohe Bay; North Pacific Ocean; oceanography; 743; CRED; CREP; Coral Reef Ecosystem Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; PIFSC; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Numeric Data Sets > Benthic; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Microbiota > Blue-green Algae; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Algal Cover; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Crustose Coralline Algae; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Encrusting Macroalgae; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Turf Algae; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Baseline studies; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis > Quadrat Monitoring > Photograph Analysis; 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 > Benthos Analysis > Transect Monitoring > Point Counts; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Photographic Analysis; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Rapid Assessment Studies; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Mollusks > Tridacna; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Sponges; 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 > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Coral Cover; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Hard Coral Cover; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Hard Coral Cover Live percentage; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Octocoral Cover; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Macroinvertebrates; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Plants > Seagrass; SHIPS; COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Kauai Island (22N159W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Molokai Island (21N157W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Honolulu > Oahu (21N157W0003); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Kauai > Niihau Island (21N160W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Lanai Island (20N156W0002); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Maui Island (20N156W0004); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii Island > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Kauai Island > Kauai Island (22N159W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Lanai Island > Lanai Island (20N156W0002); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Maui Island > Maui Island (20N156W0004); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Molokai Island > Molokai Island (21N157W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Niihau Island > Niihau Island (21N160W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Oahu Island > Oahu (21N157W0003); OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN > HAWAIIAN ISLANDS; OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN; MHI; Main Hawaiian Islands; Pacific; Humpback Whale
• Online Access: https://search.dataone.org/view/{8C825802-D2ED-4E04-AF59-2EFA9F6FBD75}

The data described here result from benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites across the Hawaiian archipelago in 2013 as a part of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys for corals and fish. Benthic habitat imagery were quantitatively analyzed using the Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe; Kohler and Gill, 2006) software. In general, images are analyzed to produce three functional group levels of benthic cover: Tier 1 (e.g., hard coral, soft coral, macroalgae, turf algae, etc.), Tier 2 (e.g., Hard Coral = massive, branching, foliose, encrusting, etc.; Macroalgae = upright macroalgae, encrusting macroalgae, bluegreen macroalgae, and Halimeda, etc.), and Tier 3 (e.g., Hard Coral = Astreopora sp, Favia sp, Pocillopora, etc.; Macroalgae = Caulerpa sp, Dictyosphaeria sp, Padina sp, etc.). A stratified random sampling (StRS) design was employed to survey the coral reef ecosystems throughout the U.S. Pacific regions. 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 in all regions, as well as habitat structure type in the Main Hawaiian Islands. 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 (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.