Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: belt transect surveys of corals in March and August of 2012
Data Set (DS) | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC)GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:25283 | Updated: October 3, 2024 | Published / External
Summary
Short Citation
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2024: Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: belt transect surveys of corals in March and August of 2012, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25283.
Full Citation Examples
The data described here were collected in Faga'alu, American Samoa in March and August 2012 via belt transect surveys of corals by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP). At a survey site, divers deployed two 25-m transects to gather information on the coral communities present there, including diversity and health status, and within each transect three 5-m segments were surveyed (beginning at 0m, 10m, and 20m). Within each segment, all coral colonies whose center fell within 0.5m of either side of the transect were identified to genus. Cases of disease and impaired health were also recorded and the type of affliction was documented.
These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. Additionally, LPI surveys were conducted in 2012, coral demographic surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2015, photoquadrat benthic images were collected in 2012 and 2015, and the 2015 images were analyzed for benthic cover composition (all documented and archived separately).
Distribution Information
-
CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text)
Coral demographic data of corals from belt transect surveys conducted by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) in Faga'alu, Tutuila, American Samoa in 2012.
None
Please cite NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) when using the data.
Example
Cite as: Vargas-Angel, Bernardo; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: belt transect surveys of corals in 2012. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25283
Controlled Theme Keywords
biota
Child Items
Type | Title |
---|---|
Entity | V0_CORAL_OBS_D |
Contact Information
Point of Contact
Bernardo Vargas-Angel
bernardo.vargasangel@noaa.gov
(808)725-5423
Metadata Contact
Annette M DesRochers
annette.desrochers@noaa.gov
(808)725-5461
Extents
-170.6808019° W,
-170.6726317° E,
-14.28706602° N,
-14.29516353° S
Location of belt transect surveys in Faga'alu in 2012.
2012-08-14 - 2012-08-16
Coral demographic surveys in August 2012
2012-03-28 - 2012-03-30
Coral demographic surveys in March 2012
Item Identification
Title: | Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: belt transect surveys of corals in March and August of 2012 |
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Short Name: | Faga'alu: BLT 2012 |
Status: | Completed |
Publication Date: | 2017 |
Abstract: |
The data described here were collected in Faga'alu, American Samoa in March and August 2012 via belt transect surveys of corals by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP). At a survey site, divers deployed two 25-m transects to gather information on the coral communities present there, including diversity and health status, and within each transect three 5-m segments were surveyed (beginning at 0m, 10m, and 20m). Within each segment, all coral colonies whose center fell within 0.5m of either side of the transect were identified to genus. Cases of disease and impaired health were also recorded and the type of affliction was documented. These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. Additionally, LPI surveys were conducted in 2012, coral demographic surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2015, photoquadrat benthic images were collected in 2012 and 2015, and the 2015 images were analyzed for benthic cover composition (all documented and archived separately). |
Purpose: |
These data are part of a NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) funded project aimed at establishing baseline data for coral demographics and benthic cover and composition via Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys conducted by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at Faga'alu Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa between 2012 and 2015. In August 2012 Faga’alu watershed in American Samoa was adopted by the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Watershed Partnership Initiative as a priority site, with the objective to reduce inputs of land-based sources of pollution to nearby coastal areas and coral reefs within the watershed. As a result, the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) invested in 1) the collection of baseline data for corals in Faga’alu Bay (REA surveys conducted by NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program [CREP]), and 2) the monitoring of sediment loads in Faga’alu Stream to document pre- and post-mitigation levels of sedimentation in the stream and the receiving waters below. Led by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, the overall goal of this capacity-building CRCP-funded project is to establish and eventually turn over the long-term monitoring to the local partners in the jurisdiction, thereby meeting the goals of the Watershed Partnership Initiative. |
Other Citation Details: |
S. Holst Rice, A. Messina, T. Biggs, B. Vargas-Angel, and D. Whitall. 2016. Baseline Assessment of Faga'alu Watershed: A Ridge to Reef Assessment in Support of Sediment Reduction Activities and Future Evaluation of their Success. Silver Spring, MD: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 23. 44 pp. DOI: 10.7289/V5BK19C3 |
Supplemental Information: |
An Erosion and Sediment Control Plan was implemented at Samoa Maritime quarry to reduce excess sedimentation from quarry operations, and mitigation actions from the Plan took place in 2014 to install retention basins designed to stem the input of excess sediments into Faga’alu Stream below the quarry. REA surveys conducted by CREP in 2012 and 2013 serve as the pre-mitigation baseline, and surveys conducted in 2015 by CREP and later by the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources serve to document the downstream effects (e.g., changes to the coral community) in Faga’alu Bay from the mitigation efforts to reduce the sediment loads upstream. Concurrent pre- and post-mitigation monitoring of turbidity and sediment load in Faga'alu is managed by San Diego State University via the CRCP-funded project titled, "Capacity Building for On-Island Impact Assessment of Sediment Load Reduction in Faga’alu Watershed, American Samoa". Long-term monitoring of the stream is transitioning to the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency. A report entitled "Baseline surveys for coral community structure and demographics in Vatia Bay and Faga'alu Bay, American Samoa" was prepared by NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program for the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources. |
Keywords
Theme Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
---|---|
ISO 19115 Topic Category |
biota
|
UNCONTROLLED | |
CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus | Numeric Data Sets > Biology |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Diseases |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Baseline studies |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis > Transect Monitoring > Belt Transect |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment > Rapid assessment studies |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral reef ecology |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Benthic biology |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral |
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus | EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities |
CRCP Project | 917 |
CRCP Project | American Samoa |
CRCP Project | Comprehensive baseline assessment and pilot test of outcome performance measures in Faga'alu Bay |
NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS | CORAL |
NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS | CORAL - BLEACHING |
NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS | CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION |
NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS | survey - swimmer/diver |
NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS | Coral Reef Conservation Program |
NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS | CORAL REEF STUDIES |
NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS | US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program |
None | Coral Reef Ecosystem Division |
None | Coral Reef Ecosystem Program |
None | CRED |
None | CREP |
None | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center |
None | PIFSC |
Spatial Keywords
Thesaurus | Keyword |
---|---|
UNCONTROLLED | |
CoRIS Place Thesaurus | COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > Tutuila Island > Faga'alu (14S170W0005) |
CoRIS Place Thesaurus | OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Pago Pago Harbor > Faga'alu (14S170W0005) |
NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS | South Pacific Ocean |
None | Faga'alu |
Physical Location
Organization: | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center |
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City: | Honolulu |
State/Province: | HI |
Country: | USA |
Data Set Information
Data Set Scope Code: | Data Set |
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Data Set Type: | CSV Files |
Maintenance Frequency: | None Planned |
Data Presentation Form: | Table (digital) |
Entity Attribute Overview: |
The physical record for includes the following: region, island, site, date (day, month, year), latitude (decimal degrees), longitude (decimal degrees), transect, segment, segment length, segment width, minimum depth (feet), and maximum depth. An individual coral colony record includes colony identification, typically to genus, and condition. |
Entity Attribute Detail URL: | https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/51110 |
Distribution Liability: |
While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. |
Data Set Credit: | PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program and funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program |
Support Roles
Data Set Credit
Date Effective From: | 2012 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Organization): | NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) |
Address: |
1305 East West Highway 10th Floor Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281 |
Phone: | (301) 713-3155 |
URL: | https://coralreef.noaa.gov |
Data Steward
Date Effective From: | 2012 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | Vargas-Angel, Bernardo |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | bernardo.vargasangel@noaa.gov |
Phone: | (808)725-5423 |
Distributor
Date Effective From: | 2018 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Organization): | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) |
Email Address: | ncei.info@noaa.gov |
URL: | NCEI Contact Information |
Metadata Contact
Date Effective From: | 2012 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | DesRochers, Annette M |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | annette.desrochers@noaa.gov |
Phone: | (808)725-5461 |
Business Hours: | 8 am - 5 pm |
Originator
Date Effective From: | 2012 |
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Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Organization): | Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | pifsc.info@noaa.gov |
Phone: | 808-725-5360 |
URL: | https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov |
Business Hours: | 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
Point of Contact
Date Effective From: | 2012 |
---|---|
Date Effective To: | |
Contact (Person): | Vargas-Angel, Bernardo |
Address: |
1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu, HI 96818 USA |
Email Address: | bernardo.vargasangel@noaa.gov |
Phone: | (808)725-5423 |
Extents
Currentness Reference: | Ground Condition |
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Extent Group 1
Extent Description: |
Faga'alu Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa |
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Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1
W° Bound: | -170.6808019 | |
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E° Bound: | -170.6726317 | |
N° Bound: | -14.28706602 | |
S° Bound: | -14.29516353 | |
Description |
Location of belt transect surveys in Faga'alu in 2012. |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1
Time Frame Type: | Range |
---|---|
Start: | 2012-08-14 |
End: | 2012-08-16 |
Description: |
Coral demographic surveys in August 2012 |
Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 2
Time Frame Type: | Range |
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Start: | 2012-03-28 |
End: | 2012-03-30 |
Description: |
Coral demographic surveys in March 2012 |
Access Information
Security Class: | Unclassified |
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Security Classification System: |
Not applicable |
Security Handling Description: |
Not applicable |
Data Access Policy: |
NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) Data Sharing Recommendations, version 9.0 updated August 12, 2015: CREP welcomes the opportunity to collaborate on research issues contributing to the scientific basis for better management of marine ecosystems. CREP has a very diverse set of field activities that generates large volumes of data using an array of data collection protocols. The following recommendations are for your consideration as you use this data: 1) Data analyses should take all field exigencies into account. The most effective way to do this would be active collaboration with CREP principal investigators. 2) In all presentations, product releases, or publications using data generated by CREP, proper acknowledgement of both CREP and the individuals responsible for data collection is expected. Citing the DOI (if available) is preferred, a non-DOI example is listed below. 3) If you collect or generate data for the same study areas, CREP requests that you share relevant information on complimentary data collections. 4) Those receiving data are strongly urged to inform the CREP Data Management Team of any errors and discrepancies that are discovered during the course of using these data. They are further urged to bring to the attention of the Team all problems and difficulties encountered in using these data. This information is necessary in order to improve the collections and to facilitate more efficient and economical data processing and retrieval. The users are asked to supply copies of any missing data that may be located, and to provide information as to significant subsets and special aggregations of data that are developed in using the material provided. Example citation: "This publication makes use of data products provided by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The analysis and interpretations presented here are solely that of the current authors.” |
Data Access Procedure: |
Data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. |
Data Access Constraints: |
None |
Data Use Constraints: |
Please cite NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) when using the data. Example Cite as: Vargas-Angel, Bernardo; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: belt transect surveys of corals in 2012. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/25283 |
Metadata Access Constraints: |
None |
Metadata Use Constraints: |
None |
Distribution Information
Distribution 1
Download URL: | https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0169729 |
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Distributor: | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) (2018 - Present) |
File Name: | V0_CORAL_OBS_D FAGAALU_2012.csv |
Description: |
Coral demographic data of corals from belt transect surveys conducted by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) in Faga'alu, Tutuila, American Samoa in 2012. |
File Date/Time: | 2016-02-17 00:00:00 |
File Type (Deprecated): | csv (comma-separated values) |
Distribution Format: | CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) |
URLs
URL 1
URL: | http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/coral.php |
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URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
URL 2
URL: | http://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/fagaaluWatershed/ |
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URL Type: |
Online Resource
|
Description: |
NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 23 Baseline Assessment of Faga'alu Watershed: A Ridge to Reef Assessment in Support of Sediment Reduction Activities and Future Evaluation of their Success |
URL 3
URL: | http://data.nodc.noaa.gov/coris/library/NOAA/CRCP/project/917/Fagaalu_TM_CRCP_23_DOI_Cover_200.jpg |
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URL Type: |
Browse Graphic
|
File Resource Format: | JPG |
Description: |
NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 23: Baseline Assessment of Faga'alu Watershed |
Technical Environment
Description: |
PIFSC Oracle database view: v0_coral_obs_d (date and location selection criteria required to subset the dataset) |
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Data Quality
Accuracy: |
Observations were made by experienced benthic survey personnel who have been trained, undergone a series of calibration surveys and coral taxon identification testing, and have met a set of minimum standards for colony assessment and taxon identification in the region. Handheld GPS units were used to locate sites and mark site locations. |
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Completeness Report: |
Only forereef, hard bottom habitats were surveyed. The survey sites were selected to be representative of the dominant habitats at this reef system. Efforts were made to include broad spatial coverage of the reef area. |
Conceptual Consistency: |
With the exception of the non-quantitative survey along the backreef, the same methods of data collection were used at each of the sites surveyed at this location and were conducted by the same scientists. |
Quality Control Procedures Employed: |
The data is quality controlled against the physical data sheets following data entry. There are also several queries in the MS Access / Oracle database to flag errors based on pre-defined criteria. |
Data Management
Have Resources for Management of these Data Been Identified?: | Yes |
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Approximate Percentage of Budget for these Data Devoted to Data Management: | Unknown |
Do these Data Comply with the Data Access Directive?: | Yes |
Is Access to the Data Limited Based on an Approved Waiver?: | No |
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Dissemination: | Unknown |
Actual or Planned Long-Term Data Archive Location: | NCEI-MD |
Approximate Delay Between Data Collection and Archiving: | Unknown |
How Will the Data Be Protected from Accidental or Malicious Modification or Deletion Prior to Receipt by the Archive?: |
NOAA IRC and NOAA Fisheries ITS resources and assets. |
Lineage
Lineage Statement: |
Belt transect surveys of corals (version d): belt transect survey with genus-level / disease observations |
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Process Steps
Process Step 1
Description: |
REA surveys are investigations that provide a high degree of taxonomic resolution for coral, algae, and other macroinvertebrate communities. During REA surveys, biological assessment teams follow highly structured protocols that are repeated at each REA site. Upon arrival at an REA site, divers entered the water and deployed two 25 m transect lines which are shared with coral surveys that gather community structure, diversity, recruitment, and health status data. The sampling effort takes between 60 and 80 min to complete. The selection of REA sites was made implementing a randomization tool on a GIS habitat bathymetry map of Fagaalu Bay, and the spatial effort allocation was proportional to the percentage of target reef habitat within two main depth strata (shallow: ~ 630 ft, and medium: 3060 ft). Factors considered during REA site selection included ensuring a range of sample sites representative of the benthic and reef fish habitats in the Bay. It is important to note that access to REA sites can be limited by wave exposure, weather conditions, and other environmental factors such as currents. Transect placement was guided by: (1) a focus on hard-bottom communities; (2) deploying lines along an isobath to the extent possible at each site, and (3) laying the transect lines into the prevailing current. |
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Process Step 2
Description: |
Within each of the two 25m transects, three 5m segments are surveyed (beginning at 0m, 10m, and 20m). In each segment, all coral colonies whose center falls within 0.5m of either side of the transect will be identified to the genus level and recorded. Cases of disease, impaired health, and partial mortality will also be recorded and any information on type of affliction documented (bleaching, skeletal growth anomaly, white syndrome, subacute tissue loss, band diseases, necroses, pigmentation responses, algal and fungal infections, as well as other diseases of unknown etiology, and predation). |
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Child Items
Rubric scores updated every 15m
Type | Title | |
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Entity | V0_CORAL_OBS_D |
Related Items
Item Type | Relationship Type | Title |
---|---|---|
Data Set (DS) | Cross Reference |
Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa since 2012: benthic images collected during belt transect surveys in 2012, 2015, 2020 |
Data Set (DS) | Cross Reference |
Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: benthic cover derived from analysis of benthic images collected during belt transect surveys of coral demography in 2015 and 2020 |
Data Set (DS) | Cross Reference |
Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: benthic cover derived from line-point intercept (LPI) surveys in August 2012 |
Data Set (DS) | Cross Reference |
Benthic Surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys in 2013, 2015, and 2020 |
Catalog Details
Catalog Item ID: | 25283 |
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GUID: | gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:25283 |
Metadata Record Created By: | Annette M DesRochers |
Metadata Record Created: | 2015-06-08 19:19+0000 |
Metadata Record Last Modified By: | SysAdmin InPortAdmin |
Metadata Record Last Modified: | 2024-10-03 18:16+0000 |
Metadata Record Published: | 2020-01-13 |
Owner Org: | PIFSC |
Metadata Publication Status: | Published Externally |
Do Not Publish?: | N |
Metadata Last Review Date: | 2020-01-13 |
Metadata Review Frequency: | 1 Year |
Metadata Next Review Date: | 2021-01-13 |