36099 NCRMP: Benthic Complexity/Urchin Abundance American Samoa Data Set Published / External 32955 American Samoa Project Completed 2016-12 2019-03 2019 Benthic complexity and urchin abundance data were collected as part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). These data were gathered around American Samoa as a part of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (formerly the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) led missions from 2015 to 2018. During these missions, the variables of benthic complexity and urchin abundance were recorded by SCUBA divers during visual surveys at NCRMP climate stations. A select number of climate sites were chosen per island in hard-bottom habitat at 15-m depths in a stratified random fashion. To record benthic complexity, the divers ran a 15-m transect from the reference stake for the site and estimated two maximum vertical relief measurements per meter along the 15-m transect (based on an area of 0.5 m x 1 m to the left and 0.5 m x 1 m to the right of each meter on the transect) for a total of 30 measurements. The measurements were tallied into five substrate height bins, including 0-20 cm, 20-50 cm, 50-100 cm, 100-150 cm, and >150 cm. The total frequency for the five substrate height bins is 30 units for a 15-m transect. Maximum depth, minimum depth, and maximum vertical relief were also recorded for the climate station. Free and boring urchin abundance was estimated within the climate station and recorded using DACOR, an abundance code based on visual estimation; dominant (D), abundant (A), common (C), occasional (O), and rare (R). Structural complexity is known to be an important component in coral reef ecosystems. Ecosystem relationships that correlate with structural complexity include reef fish density and biomass, live and branching coral cover, urchin abundance and algal cover (Graham and Nash 2013). In many cases, the benthic complexity is an important indicator of benthic and fish communities. The NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) details a long term approach to provide an ecosystem perspective via monitoring climate, fish, benthic, and socioeconomic variables in a consistent and integrated manner. The NCRMP coordinates various NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) biological, physical, and human dimensions activities into a cohesive NOAA-wide effort. Through the implementation of the NCRMP, NOAA is able to clearly and concisely communicate results of national-scale monitoring to national, state, and territorial policy makers, resource managers, and the public on a periodic basis. NCRMP is a framework for conducting sustained observations of biological, climate, and socioeconomic indicators at 10 priority coral reefs across the U.S. and its territories. This integrated approach consolidates monitoring of coral reefs under a uniform method in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico for the first time. NCRMP is funded by the CRCP and supported by NOAA Fisheries, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), and many other partners. The Ecosystem Sciences Division at NOAA Fisheries is leading climate monitoring in the U.S. Pacific Islands Region. The climate component of NCRMP in the Pacific provides a comprehensive view of climate change impacts on coral reef ecosystems and helps identify areas of resilience and vulnerability. The key indicators used to identify and monitor climate-driven trends include 1) thermal stress caused by changes in sea temperature, 2) ocean acidification resulting from changes in carbonate chemistry, and 3) ecological impacts by collecting data on coral growth rates, erosion, and community structure to understand the impacts of thermal stress and ocean acidification on the ecosystem. Each year, ESD scientists work closely with CRCP and partners during Pacific RAMP missions to collect data using moored oceanographic (subsurface temperature recorders) and ecological (calcification accretion units [CAUs] and autonomous reef monitoring structures [ARMS]) instruments stationed at fixed sites in the Pacific Ocean, and water samples collected by divers. The in-situ data and satellite-based observations are also used in modeling efforts. Innovative analysis techniques are used to develop products that give fellow scientists, managers, decision makers and the public a better understanding of a region's resources and how they are changing over time. doi:10.7289/V5X928MQ NOAA Theme ISO 19115 Topic Category biota Theme ISO 19115 Topic Category oceans Theme CRCP Project 743 Theme CRCP Project National Coral Reef Monitoring Program Theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus Numeric Data Sets > Benthic Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biological Classification > Animals/Invertebrates > ECHINODERMS > SEA URCHINS Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef monitoring and assessment Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Rugosity Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral reef ecology Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Macroinvertebrates Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates Theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Macroinvertebrates Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS HABITAT - BENTHIC Theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS MACROINVERTEBRATE CENSUS Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS benthic Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS survey - swimmer/diver Theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS visual estimate 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 PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS National Coral Reef Monitoring 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 Theme RAMP Theme Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > American Samoa (14S170W0000) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > Ofu Island (14S169W0013) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > Olosega Island (14S169W0014) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > Rose Atoll (14S168W0001) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > Swains Atoll (11S171W0001) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > Ta'u Island (14S169W0012) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > American Samoa > Tutuila Island (14S170W0016) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > Ofu Island > Ofu (14S169W0002) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > Olosega Island > Olosega (14S169W0016) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > American Samoa > American Samoa (14S170W0000) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > American Samoa > Rose Atoll (14S168W0001) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > American Samoa > Swains Atoll (11S171W0001) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > American Samoa > Tutuila Island (14S170W0016) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Manu'a Group > Ofu (14S169W0002) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Manu'a Group > Ofu Island (14S169W0013) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Manu'a Group > Olosega (14S169W0016) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Manu'a Group > Olosega Island (14S169W0014) Spatial CoRIS Place Thesaurus OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Manu'a Group > Ta'u Island (14S169W0012) Spatial NODC Sea Area Names Thesaurus Rose Atoll Marine National Monument Spatial NODC Sea Area Names Thesaurus South Pacific Ocean Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Honolulu HI USA Data Set CSV Files As Needed Updated March 2019 to add data collected in 2018 Table (digital) Raw survey data includes metadata for each survey; frequency of topographic complexity; and a measure of urchin abundance. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/36101 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 36101 V0_TOPOGRAPHIC_COMPLEXITY Published / External Completed Foundational view for benthic complexity and urchin abundance at climate stations Data View Yes GISDAT Foundational view for benthic complexity and urchin abundance at climate stations 1 ROUNDID NUMBER 22 Yes No 28 0 Active Unique identifier for ROUND record. NUMBER 2 MISSIONID VARCHAR2 30 Yes No Active Mission identifier. VARCHAR2 3 REGION_NAME VARCHAR2 30 No No Active The name of the region surveyed in the Pacific Islands region: American Samoa, Pacific Remote Island Areas, Mariana Archipelago, main Hawaiian Islands, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. VARCHAR2 4 ISLAND NVARCHAR2 150 No No Active Name of island or atoll surveyed in the Pacific Islands region (REGION_NAME). NVARCHAR2 5 SITE NVARCHAR2 150 Yes No Active The code for the site surveyed at the island or atoll (ISLAND). Combines a 3-letter island code (ISLANDCODE) with a 2-4 digit site number. NVARCHAR2 6 LATITUDE NUMBER 22 No No 38 Active Latitude in decimal degrees, WGS84, for the given SITE. NUMBER 7 LONGITUDE NUMBER 22 No No Active Longitude in decimal degrees, WGS84 for the given SITE. NUMBER 8 REEF_ZONE NVARCHAR2 150 No No Active The zone for the given SITE (Forereef, Backreef, Protected Slope, Lagoon). NVARCHAR2 9 DEPTH_BIN NVARCHAR2 60 No No Active Classification of depth (shallow, mid, deep) based on midpoint between minimum and maximum depths of a given SITE. Shallow: >0-6 m, Mid: >6-18 m, Deep: >18-30 m NVARCHAR2 10 SITEVISITID NUMBER 22 Yes No 38 Active Unique identifier created each time a SITE is surveyed on a DATE_. NUMBER 11 DATE_ DATE 7 Yes No Active Local date the survey was conducted. DATE 12 OBS_YEAR NUMBER 22 No No 38 Active 4-digit year the survey was conducted (DATE_). NUMBER 13 TRANSECT VARCHAR2 28 No No Active Type of transect (box or line). Deprecated as of 2017 surveys. VARCHAR2 14 PARALLEL_ NUMBER 22 No No 38 0 Active Parallel bearing of transect. NUMBER 15 DOWNSLOPE NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Downslope bearing of transect. Climate sites set up in 'alongshore' lines (usually a result of suitable benthic substrate availability) will not have a down slope heading. NUMBER 16 SUBSTRATE_HEIGHT_0 NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Frequency (0-30) is tallied if the maximum height of the tallest reef structure measured within a 0.5 square meter area on either side of each meter along a 15-m transect is between 0-20 cm elevation. Total frequency for all 5 substrate height bins should equal 30. NUMBER 17 SUBSTRATE_HEIGHT_20 NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Frequency (0-30) is tallied if the maximum height of the tallest reef structure measured within a 0.5 square meter area on either side of each meter along a 15-m transect is between 20-50 cm elevation. Total frequency for all 5 substrate height bins should equal 30. NUMBER 18 SUBSTRATE_HEIGHT_50 NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Frequency (0-30) is tallied if the maximum height of the tallest reef structure measured within a 0.5 square meter area on either side of each meter along a 15-m transect is between 50-100 cm elevation. Total frequency for all 5 substrate height bins should equal 30. NUMBER 19 SUBSTRATE_HEIGHT_100 NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Frequency (0-30) is tallied if the maximum height of the tallest reef structure measured within a 0.5 square meter area on either side of each meter along a 15-m transect is between 100-150 cm elevation. Total frequency for all 5 substrate height bins should equal 30. NUMBER 20 SUBSTRATE_HEIGHT_150 NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Frequency (0-30) is tallied if the maximum height of the tallest reef structure measured within a 0.5 square meter area on either side of each meter along a 15-m transect is >150 cm elevation. Total frequency for all 5 substrate height bins should equal 30. NUMBER 21 MIN_DEPTH NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Shallowest point in the NCRMP climate station (SITE) in feet. NUMBER 22 MAX_DEPTH NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Deepest point in the NCRMP climate station (SITE) in feet. NUMBER 23 MAX_VERTICAL_RELIEF NUMBER 22 No No 26 0 Active Height of tallest reef structure present within the NCRMP climate station (SITE) in centimeters. NUMBER 24 FREE_URCHIN_DACOR VARCHAR2 26 No No Active Free urchin abundance within the NCRMP climate station (SITE), estimated by DACOR, an abundance code based on visual estimation: dominant (D), abundant (A), common (C), occasional (O), and rare (R). DACOR categories are quantified as: D: 101-999; A: 51-100; C: 21-50; O: 6-20; R: 0-5. VARCHAR2 25 BORING_URCHIN_DACOR VARCHAR2 26 No No Active Boring urchin abundance within the NCRMP climate station (SITE), estimated by DACOR, an abundance code based on visual estimation: dominant (D), abundant (A), common (C), occasional (O), and rare (R). DACOR categories are quantified as: D: 501-999; A: 251-500; C: 101-250; O: 26-100; R: 0-25. VARCHAR2 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 2018 Person Barkley, Hannah C hannah.barkley@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA Data Steward 2015 2017 Person Timmers, Molly A molly.timmers@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5449 Distributor 2016 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 2016 Person Kanemura, Troy T troy.kanemura@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA (808)725-5422 Email preferred Metadata Contact 2025-11-12 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 2018 Person Barkley, Hannah C hannah.barkley@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA Point of Contact 2015 2017 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 American Samoa including Tutuila, Manu'a (Ofo, Olosega, and Ta'u), Rose Atoll, and Swains. -171.09223299 -168.13792 -11.04568868 -14.559317 Extent of benthic complexity and urchin abundance surveys in American Samoa Range 2015-02-15 2015-03-26 HA1501 Time frame of surveys for benthic complexity and urchin abundance conducted across American Samoa during ASRAMP 2015. Range 2018-06-19 2018-07-16 HA1801 Time frame of surveys for benthic complexity and urchin abundance conducted across American Samoa during ASRAMP 2018. 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). National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Benthic Complexity and Urchin Abundance at Climate Stations in American Samoa from 2015 to 2018. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/36099. None None https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0159143 2016 Organization NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information https://ror.org/04r0wrp59 V0_TOPOGRAPHIC_COMPLEXITY SAMOA 2015.csv Benthic complexity and urchin abundance data captured by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program at sites across Amerian Samoa in 2015. 2016-12-16T00:00:00 csv (comma-separated values) CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0187897 2016 Organization NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information https://ror.org/04r0wrp59 V0_TOPOGRAPHIC_COMPLEXITY SAMOA 2018.csv Benthic complexity and urchin abundance data captured by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division at sites across American Samoa during ASRAMP 2018. 2019-04-12T00:00:00 csv (comma-separated values) CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) https://ecowatch.ncddc.noaa.gov/erddap/tabledap/CRCP_Benthic_Complexity_Urchin_Abundance_Pacific.html 2016 Organization NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information https://ror.org/04r0wrp59 NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) ERDDAP web service for the benthic complexity and urchin abundance data collected by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) at sites across the Pacific Islands Region during ESD-led NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program missions from 2013 to 2018. ERDDAP acts as a middleman between you and various remote data servers. ERDDAP offers an easy-to-use, consistent way to request data: via the OPeNDAP standard. Many datasets can also be accessed via ERDDAP's Web Map Service (WMS). ERDDAP returns data in the common file format of your choice. ERDDAP offers all data as .html table, ESRI .asc and .csv, Google Earth .kml, OPeNDAP binary, .mat, .nc, ODV .txt, .csv, .tsv, .json, and .xhtml. ERDDAP can also return a .png or .pdf image with a customized graph or map. ERDDAP also has web pages (for humans with browsers) and RESTful web services (for computer programs). ERDDAP Data Server ERDDAP Data Service https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/ecosystem_sciences/ Ecosystem Sciences Division Online Resource NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center website PIFSC Oracle database view: V0_TOPOGRAPHIC_COMPLEXITY Observations at each site were made by divers who have been trained in the benthic complexity and urchin abundance estimate protocols. Between years there may be some variance in the location of the transect tape due to oceanographic conditions. Visual estimates of abundance are useful as a broad indication of the urchin assemblages present at each survey site, but there is scope for error in diver estimates of this type. The benthic complexity surface relief measurements are binned within 1 of 5 classification categories. NOAA PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division's (ESD's) use of the 5-category method was adapted from the University on North Carolina at Wilmington’s Protocol for Measuring Topographic Complexity. DACOR (dominant, abundant, common, occasional, rare) abundance codes are used to quantify urchins in the NCRMP climate station. The number of free urchins and boring urchins within the climate station is visually estimated. Only sites classified as NCRMP climate stations / permanent sites were surveyed in shallow water (0-30 m depths) hard-bottom habitats for benthic complexity and urchin abundance data. The data are complete as entered. Any null values recorded are due to an incomplete field survey and not by omission. Survey methods were consistent across all sites. The data is entered in an MS Excel spreadsheet, then quality controlled against the physical data sheets prior to the data considered final. Upon completion of the cruise, the data is migrated to Oracle database during which any errors are flagged based on pre-defined criteria. Yes Unknown Yes No Unknown NCEI-MD Unknown The data is captured in several locations: physical data sheets, MS Excel spreadsheets, and PIFSC Oracle database. The physical data sheets are housed at PIFSC. The MS Excel spreadsheets area regularly backed up by the cruise data manager while at sea. The PIFSC Oracle database is regularly backed up by PIFSC ITS. Benthic complexity (i.e., substrate height) and urchin abundance survey method employed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) since 2013. ESD's use of the 5-category method for benthic complexity was adapted from the University on North Carolina at Wilmington’s Protocol for Measuring Topographic Complexity. The category delineations for benthic complexity and urchin abundance are the same as those employed by ESD's fish team. 1 Climate Station/Site Selection: A select number of National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) climate stations per island were established in a stratified random fashion to be roughly equally spaced around the island along the 15-m contour on hard-bottom habitat and at least 1 km away from a river mouth or embayment. Person Barkley, Hannah C hannah.barkley@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA 2 Maximum Vertical Relief / Substrate Height: At the NCRMP climate station SCUBA divers ran a 15-m transect from the reference stake. Along the 15-m transect tape, two maximum vertical relief measurements per meter were tallied (based on an area of 0.5 m x 1 m to the left and 0.5 m x 1 m to the right of each meter on the transect) for a total of 30 measurements. The total frequency # for the five substrate height bins should add up to 30 units for a 15-m transect. Maximum depth, minimum depth, and maximum vertical relief were also recorded for the climate station. These measurements are defined as: Maximum depth - deepest point in the NCRMP climate station Minimum depth - shallowest point in the NCRMP climate station Maximum vertical relief - height of tallest reef structure present within the NCRMP climate station. Person Barkley, Hannah C hannah.barkley@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA 3 Free and Boring Urchin Abundance: Urchin abundance was estimated by conducting a visual census of free and boring urchins within the NCRMP climate station and was recorded using DACOR, an abundance code based on visual estimation: dominant (D), abundant (A), common (C), occasional (O), and rare (R). For Free Urchins, DACOR categories are quantified as: D: 101-999 A: 51-100 C: 21-50 O: 6-20 R: 0-5 For Boring Urchins, DACOR categories are quantified as: D: 501-999 A: 251-500 C: 101-250 O: 26-100 R: 0-25 Person Barkley, Hannah C hannah.barkley@noaa.gov 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA Not Applicable Not Applicable 36101 Entity 36100 Data Set Cross Reference 36098 Data Set Cross Reference 25251 Data Set Cross Reference gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:36099 Troy Kanemura 2016-12-21T15:11:58 SysAdmin InPortAdmin 2026-03-04T19:17:25 2017-01-24 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 2017-01-24 1 Year 2018-01-24