Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Geospatial, temperature, and depth data collected during towed-diver surveys of coral reef ecosystems across the U.S. Pacific Islands from 2000-09-09 to 2017-06-20 (NCEI Accession 0189889)
The geospatial, temperature and depth data included in this dataset are from towed-diver surveys (also referred to as towboard surveys) of coral reef ecosystems conducted during Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) cruises to the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas from 2000 to 2017 by the Ecosystem Sciences Division (formerly known as the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC).
Generally, the towed-diver survey method involved towing a pair of SCUBA divers—one benthic and one fish—behind a small boat for 50 minutes, approximately following the ~15-m depth contour and covering a linear distance of about 2-3 kilometers per survey. A complete 50-minute towed-diver survey is divided into ten 5-minute segments, and up to 6 towed-diver surveys were conducted per day.
Each diver was equipped with a towboard outfitted with instrumentation and used to record observations, and the divers attempted to maintain position ~1 meter above the surface of the reef for the duration of the survey. Both towboards were equipped with a SeaBird™ SBE39 temperature/depth sensor that recorded water temperature and depth every 5 seconds. The survey tracks were also recorded every 5 seconds using a GPS receiver located on the small boat. The survey tracks were georeferenced and a script was applied to 1) adjust the GPS waypoints from the boat's position to the estimated positions of the divers while conducting the surveys, 2) correlate the associated temperature and depth data, and 3) lace the waypoints together (with the merged temperature and depth data) into 5-min segments and tow tracks. The dataset includes the adjusted dive points, as well as the segments and tow tracks which are provided as shapefiles.
Generally, the towed-diver survey method involved towing a pair of SCUBA divers—one benthic and one fish—behind a small boat for 50 minutes, approximately following the ~15-m depth contour and covering a linear distance of about 2-3 kilometers per survey. A complete 50-minute towed-diver survey is divided into ten 5-minute segments, and up to 6 towed-diver surveys were conducted per day.
Each diver was equipped with a towboard outfitted with instrumentation and used to record observations, and the divers attempted to maintain position ~1 meter above the surface of the reef for the duration of the survey. Both towboards were equipped with a SeaBird™ SBE39 temperature/depth sensor that recorded water temperature and depth every 5 seconds. The survey tracks were also recorded every 5 seconds using a GPS receiver located on the small boat. The survey tracks were georeferenced and a script was applied to 1) adjust the GPS waypoints from the boat's position to the estimated positions of the divers while conducting the surveys, 2) correlate the associated temperature and depth data, and 3) lace the waypoints together (with the merged temperature and depth data) into 5-min segments and tow tracks. The dataset includes the adjusted dive points, as well as the segments and tow tracks which are provided as shapefiles.
Dataset Citation
- Cite as: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2019). Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Geospatial, temperature, and depth data collected during towed-diver surveys of coral reef ecosystems across the U.S. Pacific Islands from 2000-09-09 to 2017-06-20 (NCEI Accession 0189889). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0189889. Accessed [date].
Dataset Identifiers
ISO 19115-2 Metadata
gov.noaa.nodc:0189889
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Ordering Instructions | Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions. |
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NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information +1-301-713-3277 NCEI.Info@noaa.gov |
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NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Time Period | 2000-09-09 to 2017-06-20 |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: 142.43534
East: -154.80475
South: -14.91070487
North: 28.45932075
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Dataset Progress Status | Complete - production of the data has been completed Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility |
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Supplemental Information | Submission Package ID: 70GE51 |
Purpose | The geospatial data are collected to georeference the visual observations from towed-diver surveys of large-bodied fishes and benthic habitats/key benthic species and to provide ancillary temperature and depth data so that biotic observations could be linked to salient physical parameters. Towed-diver surveys are a good method for obtaining a general description of large reef areas, assessing large-scale disturbances (e.g., bleaching), and assessing general distribution and abundance patterns of large-bodied (>50 cm) fishes and macro-invertebrates (e.g., crown of thorns, giant clams). Towed-diver surveys were conducted during Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP) to support a long-term NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) for sustainable management and conservation of coral reef ecosystems. Pacific RAMP, established by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) and supported by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), was tasked with documenting and understanding the status and trends of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. Pacific Islands Region. Pacific RAMP involved interdisciplinary monitoring of oceanographic conditions and biological surveys of organisms associated with hard-bottom habitats in the 0-30 m depth range and aimed to support integrated, consistent and comparable monitoring of coral reef systems. RAMP missions were conducted in each Pacific region, including the Hawaiian and Mariana Archipelagos, American Samoa, and the Pacific Remote Island Areas, every 1-3 years. Starting in 2013, Pacific RAMP was incorporated into NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program. |
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Last Modified: 2024-02-21T13:40:56Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov