32586 Bleaching: 2015 Oceanographic Data Data Set Published / External 21442 Ocean and Climate Change Project Completed 2018-01-31 2019 The oceanographic data included in this dataset were collected by the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD; formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) from November 3-18, 2015 with funding from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. The purpose of the two-week research cruise was to evaluate the impacts of the 2015 mass coral bleaching event in the Main Hawaiian Islands. A modified version of ESD's towed-diver method was used to conduct surveys around south Oahu, west Maui, Lanai, and west Hawaii island. The modified towed-diver method involved towing a pair of SCUBA divers behind a small boat for 50 minutes and covering a linear distance of ~2 kilometers per survey. Each diver was equipped with a towboard and attempted to maintain position ~1 meter above the surface of the reef for the duration of the survey. The oceanographic data was collected with a Seabird Electronics 19P CTD mounted to one of the towboards with two auxillary sensors connected to it, including a Seabird Electronics SBE43 oxygen sensor and a Wet labs FLNTURTD fluorometer and scattering meter. The data were collected continuously throughout each survey and included conductivity, temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence, and turbidity. A complete towed-diver survey includes ten 5-minute segments, with oceanographic data averaged by 5-minute segment to correspond with the visual observations recorded by the benthic diver. At the conclusion of the mission, approximately 90 kilometers of 15-m wide transects at depths ranging from ~1 m to ~13 m were surveyed. The 2014–2015 global coral bleaching event brought widespread and severe impacts to the entire Hawaiian archipelago. In 2015, the corals of the Main Hawaiian Islands were subjected to unprecedented levels of thermal stress that resulted in the most severe coral bleaching ever recorded in the islands. To document the event, local researchers and reef managers conducted free-swimming diver surveys in areas generally accessible via same-day field excursions. In an effort to survey larger high coral cover areas that are not as accessible, the Ecosystem Sciences Division at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center led a two-week research cruise in November 2015 aboard the NOAA Ship Hi‘ialaka‘i to evaluate the impacts of the 2015 coral bleaching event in the Main Hawaiian Islands. Publication to be submitted to PIFSC Editorial for review by August 2019 Theme ISO 19115 Topic Category oceans Theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Numeric Data Sets > Oceanography Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Chemical Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Physical Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Chemistry > Climate Change Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Chemistry > Dissolved Gases Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Chemistry > Oxygen Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Optics > Fluorescence Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Optics > Turbidity Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Pressure > Sea Level Pressure Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Ocean Temperature > Water Temperature Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Salinity/Density > Conductivity Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Salinity/Density > Salinity Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS CONDUCTIVITY Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS DEPTH - SENSOR Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS DISSOLVED OXYGEN Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS FLUORESCENCE Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS OXYGEN - PERCENT SATURATION Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS SALINITY Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS WATER TEMPERATURE Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS turbidity Theme NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS CTD Theme NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS fluorometer Theme NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS nephelometer Theme NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS oxygen meter Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS in situ Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS physical Theme NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS HI'IALAKAI Theme NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS CORAL REEF STUDIES Theme NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS Coral Reef Conservation Program Theme NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division Theme CRED Theme CREP Theme Coral Reef Ecosystem Division Theme Coral Reef Ecosystem Program Theme ESD Theme Ecosystem Sciences Division Theme PIFSC Theme Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Honolulu > Oahu (21N157W0003) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Lanai Island (20N156W0002) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Maui Island (20N156W0004) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii Island > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Lanai Island > Lanai Island (20N156W0002) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Maui Island > Maui Island (20N156W0004) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Oahu Island > Oahu (21N157W0003) Spatial NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS North Pacific Ocean Spatial MHI Spatial Main Hawaiian Islands Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Honolulu HI USA Data Set CSV Files None Planned Dataset submitted to NCEI May 2019 Table (digital) Dataset includes field metadata and oceanographic parameters collected during towed-diver surveys and processed to the segment level (5-minute observation). Oceanographic data include mean and standard deviation of pressure, depth, temperature, conductivity, salinity, oxygen saturation and concentration, fluorescence, and turbidity. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/56270 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. PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division and funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable 56270 TDS_BLEACHING_OCEANOGRAPHIC Published / External Completed Oceanographic data from towed-diver surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to assess impacts from the 2015 bleaching event. Data Table Yes Oceanographic data from towed-diver surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to assess impacts from the 2015 bleaching event. sal00_sd NUMBER No No 0 Active CTD19+ standard deviation salinity by segment (practical salinity units) sbeox0PS_sd NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ standard deviation oxygen saturation by segment (% saturation) sbeox0ML.L_sd NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ standard deviation oxygen concentration by segment (mg/L) flECO.AFL_sd NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ standard deviation flourescence by segment (flouresence units) turbWETntu0_sd NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ standard deviation turbidity by segment (NTU - nephelometric turbidity unit) 1 ISLAND TEXT 90 No No Active 3-letter code for the Island in the Main Hawaiian Islands. HAW = Hawaii, LAN = Lanai, MAI = Maui, OAH = Oahu. 2 Dive_ID NUMBER 22 No No Active Unique ID for each dive/survey representing 4-digit year, 2-digit month, 2-digit day, 1-digit Dive_Number. YYYYMMDD#, where # = Dive_Number for the day. 3 Local_Date DATE 7 No No Active Local Date, mm/d/yyyy 4 Dive_Number NUMBER No No Active Consecutive number of each day's dive, 1-5 5 Segment NUMBER 22 No No 28 0 Active Dive segment number for a given dive/survey. Segments represent 5-minute increments (~200 m) and there are typically, but not always, 10 segments per dive/survey. 1-10 6 Segment_ID NUMBER 22 No No Active Dive_ID with 2-digit Segment appended. YYYYMMDD###, where ### = Dive_Number for the day (1-5) plus the 2-digit Segment (01-10) 7 StartTime DATETIME 20 No No Active Start date and time for the 5-min Segment, mm/d/yyyy hh:mm 8 EndTime DATETIME No No Active End date and time for the 5-min Segment, mm/d/yyyy hh:mm 9 ComputedLength NUMBER 30 No No Active Segment length computed by GPS lay-back (meters) 10 CentroidLAT NUMBER 22 No No 28 8 Active Mean GPS position, latitude, for each segment (decimal degrees) 11 CentroidLON NUMBER 22 No No 28 8 Active Mean GPS position, longitude, for each segment (decimal degrees) 12 prdM_med NUMBER 30 No No Active CTD 19+ median pressure by segment (decibars) 13 depSM_med NUMBER 20 No No Active CTD 19+ median depth by segment (meters) 14 tv290C_med NUMBER 20 No No Active CTD19+ median temperature by segment (degrees Celsius) 15 c0S.m_med NUMBER 22 No No 28 0 Active CTD19+ median conductivity by segment (Siemens per meter) 29 sal00_med NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ median salinity by segment (practical salinity units) 30 sbeox0PS_med NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ median oxygen saturation by segment (% saturation) 31 sbeox0ML.L_med NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ median oxygen concentration by segment (mg/L) 32 flECO.AFL_med NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ median flourescence by segment (flouresence units) 33 turbWETntu0_med NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ median turbidity by segment (NTU - nephelometric turbidity unit) 34 prdM_sd NUMBER No No Active CTD 19+ standard deviation pressure by segment (decibars) 35 depSM_sd NUMBER No No Active CTD 19+ standard deviation depth by segment (meters) 36 tv290C_sd NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ standard deviation temperature by segment (degrees Celsius) 37 c0S.m_sd NUMBER No No Active CTD19+ standard deviation conductivity by segment (Siemens per meter) Data Set Credit 2015 Organization NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program CRCP 1305 East West Highway 10th Floor Silver Spring MD 20910-3281 (301) 713-3155 https://coralreef.noaa.gov Link to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program website Online Resource Data Steward 2025-11-11 Person Oliver, Thomas thomas.oliver@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0684-1287 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5444 Data Steward 2015 Person Pomeroy, Noah noah.pomeroy@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5439 Email preferred Distributor 2019 Organization NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information NCEI ncei.info@noaa.gov https://ror.org/04r0wrp59 https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact NCEI Contact Information Information for contacts at NCEI. Online Resource Distributor 2015 2018 Person Oliver, Thomas thomas.oliver@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0684-1287 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5444 Metadata Contact 2025-11-11 Person Akridge, Michael W michael.akridge@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5483 Metadata Contact 2015 Person DesRochers, Annette M annette.desrochers@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5461 8 am - 5 pm Email preferred Originator 2015 Organization Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center PIFSC pifsc.info@noaa.gov https://ror.org/02apffz65 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA 808-725-5360 https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage Online Resource 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Point of Contact 2015 Person Oliver, Thomas thomas.oliver@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0684-1287 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5444 Email preferred Ground Condition Main Hawaiian Islands, including Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, and Oahu islands. -157.9472292246 -155.8293419903 21.3030689284 19.7485369637 Extent of underwater surveys in Main Hawaiian Islands in November 2015. Range 2015-11-03 2015-11-18 HA1602 Time frame of surveys conducted in Main Hawaiian Islands. Unclassified Not applicable Not applicable 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 Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD), 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 can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. None Please cite PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data. Suggested citation: Ecosystem Sciences Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2019: Oceanographic data, including conductivity, temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence, and turbidity, collected during towed-diver surveys conducted from November 3-18, 2015 in the Main Hawaiian Islands to assess damage from the 2015 mass coral bleaching event, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/32586. None None https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0189254 2019 Organization NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information https://ror.org/04r0wrp59 Bleaching2015_TOW_Oceanography.csv Oceanographic data from towed-diver surveys of benthic habitat by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) conducted around the Main Hawaiian Islands (HA1602) in 2015. 2019-05-05T00:00:00 .csv CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/surveying-vast-ocean PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Online Resource Oceanographic measurements were averaged by each 5-min segment of the tow survey. Standard deviation, in addition to each mean value, is provided for each metric. This survey effort specifically targeted areas of known high coral coverage to evaluate bleaching impact. Although efforts are made to include broad spatial coverage of surveys at each island, weather conditions prevented the team from surveying various exposed reef areas. Observations, including species identification and coverage area estimates were periodically checked during the expedition for consistency between divers. Data entry was usually conducted on the same day as the surveys using MS Access. Data was quality controlled by the divers using a two-person system. The data was then run through rigorous quality control checks by the data management team before the data was migrated to the Oracle database. Given the size of the data set, there remains some possibility of typographical or other errors. Yes Unknown Yes No Unknown NCEI-MD Unknown NOAA IRC and NOAA Fisheries ITS resources and assets. Modified towed-diver survey methodology to collect benthic observations, images, and oceanographic data around the main Hawaiian Islands to be used to assess impacts from the 2015 mass coral bleaching event. Research Report: Observing and Documenting Predicted 2015/2016 Mass Coral Bleaching Events in Hawaii Person Thomas Oliver, Noah Pomeroy Originator Draft report in progress as of May 30 2019. To be submitted for review August 2019. 1 A pair of scuba divers was towed about 1 m above the reef roughly 30 m behind a small boat at a constant speed of about 1.5 knots. Both divers collected visual observations of the benthos. Tow-boards were connected to the small boat by a bridle and towline. Each tow survey was typically 50 minutes long and covered about 2 km of habitat. Each survey was divided into 5-minute segments, with data recorded separately per segment to allow for geo-referencing of observations within the ~200 m covered during each segment. Throughout a survey, the latitude and longitude of the survey track was recorded at 5-second intervals on the small boat with a global positioning system (GPS). Following a survey, diver tracks were generated using this GPS data and a layback algorithm to account for position of the diver relative to the small boat. On one towboard, oceanographic data was collected continuously throughout each survey with a suite of mounted sensors recording conductivity, temperature, depth, fluorometry (chlorophyll-a), turbidity and dissolved oxygen. Sensors included a Seabird Electronics 19P CTD, and a Seabird Electronics SBE43 oxygen sensor and a Wet labs FLNTURTD fluorometer and scattering meter were connected to the 19P CTD. For each 5-minute tow segment, each diver made observation of the benthos, corals, and bleaching status (documented and archived separately). Oceanographic measurements were averaged by each 5-min segment of the tow survey to correspond with the benthic observations recorded by the divers. The other towboard was outfitted with a downward facing camera that captured photos of the benthos (also documented and archived separately). Person Oliver, Thomas thomas.oliver@noaa.gov https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0684-1287 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5444 Research Report: Observing and Documenting Predicted 2015/2016 Mass Coral Bleaching Events in Hawaii towboard-benthic instrument Benthic towboard SCUBA divers conduct towed-diver surveys to assess relatively large areas of reef habitat and to survey large-bodied reef fishes. This method involves towing two divers (one fish, one benthic) behind a small surface craft that is moving at a velocity of 1-2 mph. The benthic towboard is equipped with a digital camera that is pointing in the downward-looking direction, to record the benthos over which the diver and camera are moving. The benthic diver maneuvers the towboard on which the camera is mounted and records selected data pertaining to the habitat using datasheets mounted on the towboard. The towboard is also equipped with a SEABIRD sensor that records depth and water temperature every 5 seconds. A GPS unit on the surface tow vessel records the trackline over which the divers are being towed. NOAA Ship Hi‘ialakai NOAA Ship Hi‘ialakai is a multipurpose oceanographic research vessel whose primary missions include coral reef ecosystem mapping, coral reef health and fish stock studies, and maritime heritage surveys in the Pacific Islands Region. A T-AGOS class vessel, Hi‘ialakai was built in 1984 for the U.S. Navy and served as the U.S. Naval Vessel Vindicator. The ship was then transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard, and finally to NOAA in 2002, when it was converted to conduct coral reef research. The ship was commissioned in the NOAA fleet in 2004. The 224-ft. ship is renowned for its work since 2004 assessing the health of coral reefs throughout the Pacific Islands. Scuba diving operations play a major role in the ship’s mission, and Hi‘ialakai is equipped for both shallow- and deep-water dive projects. The ship carries three small workboats that transfer divers to the working grounds, a 15-person dive locker to store scientific gear and equipment, and an air compressor to fill tanks. As Hi‘ialakai frequently operates in remote areas, the ship also carries a three-person, double-lock decompression chamber. In the event of a diving accident, the diver can be treated onsite. The ship supports a scientific crew of ~22 and is equipped with wet and dry labs, a computer/electronics room, and a scientific freezer. Data collection systems include an acoustic current Doppler profiler, CTDs and water samples, a thermosalinograph, and two Kongsberg multibeam echosounders (EM300 and EM3002d). The ship supported multibeam mapping operations across the Pacific Island Regions primarily between 2004 and 2008. In addition to supporting NOAA projects, Hi‘ialakai works in partnership with the University of Hawaii, State of Hawaii, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The ship is homeported at the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Pacific Islands in Honolulu. towboard-benthic instrument Benthic towboard SCUBA divers conduct towed-diver surveys to assess relatively large areas of reef habitat and to survey large-bodied reef fishes. This method involves towing two divers (one fish, one benthic) behind a small surface craft that is moving at a velocity of 1-2 mph. The benthic towboard is equipped with a digital camera that is pointing in the downward-looking direction, to record the benthos over which the diver and camera are moving. The benthic diver maneuvers the towboard on which the camera is mounted and records selected data pertaining to the habitat using datasheets mounted on the towboard. The towboard is also equipped with a SEABIRD sensor that records depth and water temperature every 5 seconds. A GPS unit on the surface tow vessel records the trackline over which the divers are being towed. 56270 Entity 32587 Data Set Cross Reference 32588 Data Set Cross Reference gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:32586 Troy Kanemura 2016-04-27T19:13:39 SysAdmin InPortAdmin 2026-03-04T19:17:25 2019-05-30 Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center PIFSC 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA 808-725-5300 https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 1001 Public No No 2019-05-30 1 Year 2020-05-30