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Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Rapid Ecological Assessment Quadrat Surveys of Corals around the Marianas Islands from 2003-08-22 to 2007-06-08 (NCEI Accession 0129066)

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The Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP), established by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), is tasked with documenting and understanding the status and trends of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. Pacific. Pacific RAMP involves an interdisciplinary series of integrated ecosystem observations of coral reefs around ~ 50 islands, atolls, and shallow-water banks of the Mariana Archipelago, American Samoa, the Hawaiian Archipelago, and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Pacific RAMP surveys are designed to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of the distribution, abundance, and diversity of corals, algae, other macro-invertebrates, and fishes in the context of their benthic habitats and oceanographic environments.

As part of this Pacific-wide monitoring effort, CRED conducted its first Pacific RAMP research cruise to the Mariana Archipelago (MARAMP) in 2003, with subsequent cruises to follow on a biennial cycle through 2011, and on a triennial cycle thereafter when Pacific RAMP was implemented as part of NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP).

The coral data described herein were collected via Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys following the quadrat method, and conducted at specific reef sites around the islands and reefs of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) during MARAMP 2003, 2005, and 2007. During MARAMP 2003, 2005, and 2007, the majority of REA surveys were conducted along the fore reef slopes of islands at depths of 10-20 m; however, other habitat types were also surveyed. During REA surveys, biological assessment teams -- a fish team, a coral team, and a combined algal and macro-invertebrate team -- followed highly structured protocols that were repeated at each REA site. REA sites were selected in 2003 and, when possible, revisited during 2005 and 2007; a few additional sites were added in 2005 and 2007, and were chosen based on consultations with the resource management agencies of each jurisdiction.

Quadrat surveys were conducted at all islands surveyed during MARAMP 2003, all but one island during MARAMP 2005, and at 10 of 15 islands during MARAMP 2007. The quadrat method was only employed during surveys in the Mariana Archipelago, and the method was retired from Pacific RAMP following MARAMP 2007.

The quadrat survey data include species/genus identification of individual coral colonies and empirical size measurements (colony length and width) that can provide metrics such as generic richness and composition, coral-colony density, and size distribution (not included in the dataset), and can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.
  • Cite as: Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Houk, Peter (2015). Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Rapid Ecological Assessment Quadrat Surveys of Corals around the Marianas Islands from 2003-08-22 to 2007-06-08 (NCEI Accession 0129066). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0129066. Accessed [date].
gov.noaa.nodc:0129066
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Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
NCEI.Info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 2003-08-22 to 2007-06-08
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: 142.8
East: 145.9
South: 12.8
North: 20.6
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2015-10-14
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Supplemental Information
Submission Package ID: F3X4G7
Purpose One of the primary objectives for the Pacific RAMP activities in the U.S. Pacific islands is to employ complementary and overlapping methods to assess and monitor species composition, abundance, percentage of cover, size distribution, diversity, and general health of fishes, corals, algae, and other macroinvertebrates in shallow-water (< 35 m) habitats. The quadrat surveys described herein are part of this long-term monitoring program in which corals, algae, fish, and other macro-invertebrates were co-sampled along the same set of transect lines at biennial intervals. These surveys precede the benthic monitoring methods adopted by the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program starting in 2013 and first employed in the Mariana Archipelago in 2014 as part of CRED's ongoing Pacific RAMP.
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Houk, Peter (2015). Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Rapid Ecological Assessment Quadrat Surveys of Corals around the Marianas Islands from 2003-08-22 to 2007-06-08 (NCEI Accession 0129066). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0129066. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors
Principal Investigators
Contributors
Resource Providers
Points of Contact
Publishers
Acknowledgments
  • Related Funding Agency: US DOC; NOAA; NOS; Coral Reef Conservation Program
Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords Provider Keywords
  • SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - ORGANISM WIDTH
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
Platform keywords NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords ICES/SeaDataNet Ship Codes
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Provider Instruments
  • Hand-held tape measure
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
Project keywords NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS Provider Project Names
  • Marianas Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (MARAMP - NOAA/NMFS/CRED)
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Coral Reef Ecosystem Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Houk, Peter (2015). Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Rapid Ecological Assessment Quadrat Surveys of Corals around the Marianas Islands from 2003-08-22 to 2007-06-08 (NCEI Accession 0129066). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0129066. Accessed [date].
Access Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2015-10-14T11:42:20Z - NCEI Accession 0129066 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • Data Type: SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - ORGANISM LENGTH (measured); Units: cm; Observation Type: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Hand-held tape measure; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Along the length of a single 50-m transect line at each site, a quadrat (0.5 × 0.5 m) was haphazardly placed on hard-bottom substrate with corals for a combined total of either 15 (in 2003) or 16 (in 2005 and 2007) times per site (total survey area = 3.75 or 4 m^2 per site). Each scleractinian or hydrozoan colony whose center lay inside a quadrat was identified to species (or genus, for small colonies in which species characteristics had not yet developed), and the maximum and perpendicular diameters were measured (colony length and width respectively).; Data Quality Information: Observations were made by divers who are experts in coral biology. The coral colony survey was conducted one time per site per survey year; it was not replicated. The same methods of data collection were used at each of the sites surveyed as described in this dataset.
  • Data Type: SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - ORGANISM WIDTH (measured); Units: cm; Observation Type: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Hand-held tape measure; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Along the length of a single 50-m transect line at each site, a quadrat (0.5 × 0.5 m) was haphazardly placed on hard-bottom substrate with corals for a combined total of either 15 (in 2003) or 16 (in 2005 and 2007) times per site (total survey area = 3.75 or 4 m^2 per site). Each scleractinian or hydrozoan colony whose center lay inside a quadrat was identified to species (or genus, for small colonies in which species characteristics had not yet developed), and the maximum and perpendicular diameters were measured (colony length and width respectively).; Data Quality Information: Observations were made by divers who are experts in coral biology. The coral colony survey was conducted one time per site per survey year; it was not replicated. The same methods of data collection were used at each of the sites surveyed as described in this dataset.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • swimmer/diver
  • visual analysis
Platform
  • NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai
  • NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette
Last Modified: 2024-03-19T12:32:11Z
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