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Summary

NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 23: Baseline Assessment of Faga'alu Watershed

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

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).

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.

Access Constraints:

None

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

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

Geographic Area 1

-170.6808019° W, -170.6726317° E, -14.28706602° N, -14.29516353° S

Location of belt transect surveys in Faga'alu in 2012.

Time Frame 1
2012-08-14 - 2012-08-16

Coral demographic surveys in August 2012

Time Frame 2
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
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
City: Honolulu
State/Province: HI
Country: USA

Data Set Information

Data Set Scope Code: Data Set
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

CC ID: 710595
Date Effective From: 2012
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

CC ID: 268387
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

Distributor

CC ID: 710594
Date Effective From: 2018
Date Effective To:
Contact (Organization): NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
Email Address: ncei.info@noaa.gov
URL: NCEI Contact Information

Metadata Contact

CC ID: 203746
Date Effective From: 2012
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

CC ID: 203749
Date Effective From: 2012
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

CC ID: 203747
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
View Historical Support Roles

Extents

Currentness Reference: Ground Condition

Extent Group 1

Extent Description:

Faga'alu Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 203745
W° Bound: -170.6808019
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

CC ID: 203744
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

CC ID: 710596
Time Frame Type: Range
Start: 2012-03-28
End: 2012-03-30
Description:

Coral demographic surveys in March 2012

Access Information

Security Class: Unclassified
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

CC ID: 203750
Download URL: https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0169729
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

CC ID: 203752
URL: http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/coral.php
URL Type:
Online Resource

URL 2

CC ID: 710592
URL: http://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/fagaaluWatershed/
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

CC ID: 710593
URL: http://data.nodc.noaa.gov/coris/library/NOAA/CRCP/project/917/Fagaalu_TM_CRCP_23_DOI_Cover_200.jpg
URL Type:
Browse Graphic
NOAA Technical Memorandum CRCP 23: Baseline Assessment of Faga'alu Watershed
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)

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.

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
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

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 203755
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.

Process Step 2

CC ID: 710591
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).

Child Items

Rubric scores updated every 15m

Rubric Score Type Title
Entity V0_CORAL_OBS_D

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 25283
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