Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Towed-diver Surveys of Benthic Habitats, Key Benthic Species, and Marine Debris Sightings of the U.S. Pacific Reefs from 2000-09-09 to 2012-05-19 (NCEI Accession 0163745)

• 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; 0163745; 163745; BIOLOGICAL DATA; CORAL; DEBRIS; DEPTH - SENSOR; HABITAT - BENTHIC; MACROINVERTEBRATE CENSUS; REEF AND/OR BOTTOM REGIME - PERCENT COVER; WATER TEMPERATURE; GPS; swimmer/diver; in situ; survey; survey - biological; survey - coral reef; survey - swimmer/diver; visual observation; HI'IALAKAI; OSCAR ELTON SETTE; TOWNSEND CROMWELL; US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP); CORAL REEF STUDIES; Pacific Reef and Assessment Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP); Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary; National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa; North Pacific Ocean; Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument; Philippine Sea; Rose Atoll Marine National Monument; South Pacific Ocean; oceanography; CRED; CREP; Coral Reef Ecosystem Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; PIFSC; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; 1221; 587; C204 Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP): Biennial monitoring for the US Pacific Islands and Atolls; Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Monitoring coral reef ecosystems of the US Pacific Islands and Atolls; Numeric Data Sets > Biology; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Mortality; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Photic Zone Corals; EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs; 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 > Habitats; 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 Dead percentage; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Hard Coral Cover Live percentage; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Macroinvertebrates; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Census; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Census > Macroinvertebrates; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Census > Population Density; EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Macroinvertebrates; EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC; EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN TEMPERATURE > WATER TEMPERATURE; Biennial; GPS > Global Positioning System; SHIPS; COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > American Samoa (14S170W0000); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Baker Island (00N176W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Howland Island (00S176W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Jarvis Island (00S160W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Johnston Atoll (16N169W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Kingman Reef (06N162W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Palmyra Atoll (05N162W0001); COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > USA Minor Outlying Islands > Wake Atoll (19N167E0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > American Samoa > American Samoa (14S170W0000); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Baker Island > Baker Island (00N176W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Howland Island > Howland Island (00S176W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Johnston Atoll > Johnston Atoll (16N169W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Line Islands > Jarvis Island (00S160W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Line Islands > Kingman Reef (06N162W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Line Islands > Palmyra Atoll (05N162W0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Wake Atoll > Wake Atoll (19N167E0001); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000); OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Mariana Archipelago > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000); OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN > HAWAIIAN ISLANDS; OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN; OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN; Pacific; Pinnacle; Line Islands; Humpback Whale
• Online Access: https://search.dataone.org/view/{A167C63F-17A2-47AF-BA7B-EBE627A31118}

The towed-diver method is used to conduct benthic surveys, assessing large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching) and quantifying benthic components such as habitat complexity/type and the general distribution and abundance patterns of live coral, CCA, macroalgae, and macroinvertebrates. Surveys are conducted in the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). A suitable method for assessing relatively large areas of reef habitat, the method involves towing a pair of SCUBA divers—one benthic and one fish—behind a small boat for approximately 50 min following the ~15-m depth contour and covering about 2–3 km of habitat. Each diver is equipped with a towboard and attempts to maintain a constant elevation above the surface of the reef (~1 m) for the duration of the survey. A complete towed-diver survey is divided into 10, 5-min segments, with visual observations recorded by 5-min segment. The visual estimate data provided in this dataset were collected during towed-diver surveys which includes percentage cover of total live hard corals, stressed hard corals, soft corals, sand, coralline algae, and macroalgae, and the number of individual macroinvertebrates (crown of thorns starfish (COTS), sea urchins, and giant clams). Benthic habitat complexity and type data are also collected as part of the survey with the following habitat type categories: continuous reef, spur and groove, patch reefs, rock boulders, pavement, rubble flat, sand flats, pinnacle, and wall. The data were collected at coral reefs across all U.S.-affiliated regions as part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) led missions since 2000.