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Coral reef ecosystem marine protected area monitoring in Fagamalo, American Samoa: benthic percent cover derived from analysis of benthic images collected during belt transect surveys of coral demography in 2015

In 2010 the village of Fagamalo, Tutuila, American Samoa, designated a no-take Marine Protected Area that sees the protection of 2.25 square kilometers of ocean. Because little is known regarding the status of living marine communities in the area, and at the request of the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, NOAA scientists conducted surveys to assess the status of the benthic communities and establish a baseline against which to compare temporal change.

The benthic cover data described here were generated from the quantitative analysis of photoquadrat benthic images using image analysis software, whereby random points are projected on each image and the benthic elements falling directly underneath each point are identified. The images were collected at 18 randomly selected stratified sites in Fagamalo in 2015 during belt transect surveys of coral demography by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP).

The benthic cover data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. The benthic images and coral demography data are described and archived separately.

About this Dataset

Updated: 2025-04-21
Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-04T14:14:13.160Z
Date Created: N/A
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Title Coral reef ecosystem marine protected area monitoring in Fagamalo, American Samoa: benthic percent cover derived from analysis of benthic images collected during belt transect surveys of coral demography in 2015
Description In 2010 the village of Fagamalo, Tutuila, American Samoa, designated a no-take Marine Protected Area that sees the protection of 2.25 square kilometers of ocean. Because little is known regarding the status of living marine communities in the area, and at the request of the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, NOAA scientists conducted surveys to assess the status of the benthic communities and establish a baseline against which to compare temporal change. The benthic cover data described here were generated from the quantitative analysis of photoquadrat benthic images using image analysis software, whereby random points are projected on each image and the benthic elements falling directly underneath each point are identified. The images were collected at 18 randomly selected stratified sites in Fagamalo in 2015 during belt transect surveys of coral demography by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP). The benthic cover data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. The benthic images and coral demography data are described and archived separately.
Modified 2025-04-04T14:14:13.160Z
Publisher Name N/A
Contact N/A
Keywords 1083 , American Samoa , Coral reef ecosystem monitoring training and capacity building to support improved resource management in American Samoa , Numeric Data Sets > Benthic , EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat , EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat , 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 > Fleshy Macroalgae , EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Vegetation > Algae > Turf Algae , 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 > 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 > Photographic Analysis , 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 > Octocoral Cover , REEF AND/OR BOTTOM REGIME - PERCENT COVER , CORAL REEF STUDIES , Coral Reef Conservation Program , US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program , COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > Tutuila Island > Fagamalo (14S170W0047) , OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Tutuila Island > Fagamalo (14S170W0047) , South Pacific Ocean , CRED , CREP , Coral Reef Ecosystem Division , Coral Reef Ecosystem Program , PIFSC , Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center , DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC > Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce , Benthic Missions , biota
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