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Summary

Short Citation
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2024: Benthic Images from Towed-Diver Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to Assess the Mass Coral Bleaching Event in November 2015, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/32587.
Full Citation Examples

Abstract

A team from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) deployed on a two-week research cruise in November 2015 to evaluate the impacts of the 2015 mass coral bleaching event in the Main Hawaiian Islands via towed-diver surveys. Areas surveyed included south Oahu, west Maui, Lana’i, and west Hawaii island. Over the course of 10 survey days, the team surveyed approximately 90 km of 15-m wide transects at depths ranging from 2 to 10 m.

Data provided in this dataset include benthic images that were collected during the towed-diver surveys from a camera that was mounted to the towboard. A downward-facing DSLR camera with strobes collected these photographic quadrat data by capturing an image of the benthos at 15-second intervals during the surveys.

Two additional datasets were collected during the surveys and are documented separately. Towed divers recorded visual estimates of percentage of live coral that was pale and bleached, as well as presence/absence data of condition by generic composition. Oceanographic data was collected continuously throughout each survey with a suite of sensors mounted to the towboard recording conductivity, temperature, depth, flourometry (chlorophyll-a), turbidity and dissolved oxygen.

The benthic images can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

Distribution Information

  • CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text)

    List of tows documenting the mid-point of each tow along which the photographs were collected

  • JPEG

    Photo-quadrats from towed-diver surveys of benthic habitat by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted around the Main Hawaiian Islands (HA1602) in 2015.

Access Constraints:

None

Use Constraints:

Please cite NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) when using the data.

Suggested citation:

Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2016). Benthic Images from Towed-Diver Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to Assess the Mass Coral Bleaching Event in November 2015. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/32587

Controlled Theme Keywords

biota

Child Items

No Child Items for this record.

Contact Information

Point of Contact
Thomas Oliver
thomas.oliver@noaa.gov
(808)725-5444

Metadata Contact
Annette M DesRochers
annette.desrochers@noaa.gov
(808)725-5461

Extents

Geographic Area 1

-157.94722922° W, -155.82934199° E, 21.30306893° N, 19.74853696° S

Extent of underwater surveys in Main Hawaiian Islands in November 2015.

Time Frame 1
2015-11-03 - 2015-11-18

Time frame of surveys conducted in Main Hawaiian Islands.

Item Identification

Title: Benthic Images from Towed-Diver Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to Assess the Mass Coral Bleaching Event in November 2015
Short Name: Bleaching: 2015 Towed-Diver Benthic Images
Status: Completed
Publication Date: 2016
Abstract:

A team from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) deployed on a two-week research cruise in November 2015 to evaluate the impacts of the 2015 mass coral bleaching event in the Main Hawaiian Islands via towed-diver surveys. Areas surveyed included south Oahu, west Maui, Lana’i, and west Hawaii island. Over the course of 10 survey days, the team surveyed approximately 90 km of 15-m wide transects at depths ranging from 2 to 10 m.

Data provided in this dataset include benthic images that were collected during the towed-diver surveys from a camera that was mounted to the towboard. A downward-facing DSLR camera with strobes collected these photographic quadrat data by capturing an image of the benthos at 15-second intervals during the surveys.

Two additional datasets were collected during the surveys and are documented separately. Towed divers recorded visual estimates of percentage of live coral that was pale and bleached, as well as presence/absence data of condition by generic composition. Oceanographic data was collected continuously throughout each survey with a suite of sensors mounted to the towboard recording conductivity, temperature, depth, flourometry (chlorophyll-a), turbidity and dissolved oxygen.

The benthic images can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

Purpose:

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 report on 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 difficult for local researchers and managers to access via day-long field trips, a team from CREP deployed on 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 via towed-diver surveys.

Supplemental Information:

As of September 2016, CREP is collaborating with academic researchers at Bangor University to analyze this photo-quadrat collection.

Keywords

Theme Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
ISO 19115 Topic Category
biota
UNCONTROLLED
CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Visual Images > Habitats
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Bleaching > Bleaching Resistance
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Diseases > Bleaching
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Diseases > Bleaching > Bleaching Thermal Stress
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Photic Zone Corals
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Habitats
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral
CRCP Project 31075
CRCP Project Observing and Documenting Predicted 2015/2016 Mass Coral Bleaching Events in Hawaii
NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS PHOTOQUADRAT IMAGES
NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS imagery
NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS tows
NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS HI'IALAKAI
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
None TDS
None towboard
None towed diver
None Towed-diver surveys

Spatial Keywords

Thesaurus Keyword
UNCONTROLLED
CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Honolulu > Oahu (21N157W0003)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Lanai Island (20N156W0002)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Maui Island (20N156W0004)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii Island > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Lanai Island > Lanai Island (20N156W0002)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Maui Island > Maui Island (20N156W0004)
CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Oahu Island > Oahu (21N157W0003)
NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS North Pacific Ocean
None Main Hawaiian Islands
None MHI

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: JPG Files
Maintenance Frequency: None Planned
Data Presentation Form: Image (digital)
Entity Attribute Overview:

Raw data includes approximately 200 benthic photographs per tow. Included in the archive package is a list of tows documenting the mid-point of each tow along which the photographs were collected. The file naming convention for each photo/image is [ISLANDCODE][MMDDYY]_[DIVEID]_[PHOTO_NUMBER].JPG (for example: OAH111815_1_001.JPG).

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 Steward

CC ID: 351769
Date Effective From: 2015
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Pomeroy, Noah
Address: 1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96818
USA
Email Address: noah.pomeroy@noaa.gov
Phone: (808)725-5439
Contact Instructions:

Email preferred

Distributor

CC ID: 351764
Date Effective From: 2016
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: 351766
Date Effective From: 2015
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
Contact Instructions:

Email preferred

Originator

CC ID: 351767
Date Effective From: 2015
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

Originator

CC ID: 351770
Date Effective From: 2015
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: 351765
Date Effective From: 2015
Date Effective To:
Contact (Person): Oliver, Thomas
Address: 1845 Wasp Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96818
USA
Email Address: thomas.oliver@noaa.gov
Phone: (808)725-5444
Contact Instructions:

Email preferred

View Historical Support Roles

Extents

Currentness Reference: Ground Condition

Extent Group 1

Extent Description:

Main Hawaiian Islands

Extent Group 1 / Geographic Area 1

CC ID: 351772
W° Bound: -157.94722922
E° Bound: -155.82934199
N° Bound: 21.30306893
S° Bound: 19.74853696
Description

Extent of underwater surveys in Main Hawaiian Islands in November 2015.

Extent Group 1 / Time Frame 1

CC ID: 351773
Time Frame Type: Range
Start: 2015-11-03
End: 2015-11-18
Alternate Start As Of Info: HA1602
Description:

Time frame of surveys conducted in Main Hawaiian Islands.

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.

Suggested citation:

Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2016). Benthic Images from Towed-Diver Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to Assess the Mass Coral Bleaching Event in November 2015. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/32587

Metadata Access Constraints:

None

Metadata Use Constraints:

None

Distribution Information

Distribution 1

CC ID: 357118
Download URL: https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157611
Distributor:
File Name: HA1602 Tow Information.csv
Description:

List of tows documenting the mid-point of each tow along which the photographs were collected

File Type (Deprecated): csv (comma-separated values)
Distribution Format: CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text)

Distribution 2

CC ID: 351778
Download URL: https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157611
Distributor:
Description:

Photo-quadrats from towed-diver surveys of benthic habitat by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted around the Main Hawaiian Islands (HA1602) in 2015.

File Type (Deprecated): JPEG
Distribution Format: JPEG

URLs

URL 1

CC ID: 351775
URL: https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/towboard.php
URL Type:
Online Resource

Technical Environment

Description:

The latitude and longitude coordinates of the survey track are recorded using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver on-board the tow boat. The survey track is georeferenced and a layback model is applied (python script in ESRI ArcGIS for Desktop) that more accurately maps the positions of the recorded observations.

Data Quality

Representativeness:

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 high coral cover areas at each island, poor weather and sea conditions prevented the team from surveying various reef areas. On rare occasions, battery failure and accidental alteration of optimal exposure settings resulted in partial loss of benthic images for some survey segments.

Accuracy:

Images captured from the towboard-mounted DSLR camera may not contain a clear depiction of the benthos due to a number of confounding factors, including the angle of the camera lens in relation to the benthos, the distance between the camera lens and the benthos, water turbidity and occasional malfunction of the synchronized strobes.

Completeness Report:

Images were taken on all towboard surveys.

Conceptual Consistency:

Benthic photoquadrat images captured during towboard surveys serve as consistent and objective visual documentation of the benthos during the surveys.

Quality Control Procedures Employed:

Benthic images and the file structure are quality controlled by CREP personnel before they are migrated and integrated into CREP's master optical directory on the PIFSC network.

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:

Benthic photographs were collected during towed-diver surveys of corals by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) following the same protocol to that established by the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP).

Process Steps

Process Step 1

CC ID: 351608
Description:

A pair of scuba divers is towed about 1 m above the reef roughly 30 m behind a small boat at a constant speed of about 1.5 kt. Both divers collect visual observations of the benthos. Towboards are connected to the small boat by a bridle and towline. A tow survey is typically 50 minutes and covers about 2 km of habitat. Each survey is divided into 5-minute segments, with data recorded separately per segment to allow for georeferencing of observations within the ~200 m covered during each segment. Throughout a survey, the latitude and longitude of the survey track is recorded at 5-second intervals on the small boat with a global positioning system (GPS). Following a survey, diver tracks are generated using this GPS data and a layback algorithm to account for position of the diver relative to the small boat.

One towboard features a forward facing camera that takes video and a downward facing camera records benthic photo-quadrats every 15 seconds, using a DSLR camera and strobes to even lighting conditions. These quadrats provide an archival record of the event, and will allow researchers to more thoroughly document observed patterns.

Analysis of the benthic photo-quadrats is planned through a collaboration with academic researchers at Bangor University.

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 32587
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:32587
Metadata Record Created By: Troy T Kanemura
Metadata Record Created: 2016-04-27 19:24+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: SysAdmin InPortAdmin
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2024-10-03 18:16+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2017-01-23
Owner Org: PIFSC
Metadata Publication Status: Published Externally
Do Not Publish?: N
Metadata Last Review Date: 2017-01-23
Metadata Review Frequency: 1 Year
Metadata Next Review Date: 2018-01-23