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Item Identification
Entity Info
Data Attributes
Catalog Details

Summary

Abstract

Classification Tiers, Categories, and Definitions

Description

Classification Tiers, Categories, and Definitions

Entity Information

Entity Type
Data File

Data Attribute / Type Description
Coral
TEXT
For the purposes of this image analysis, hard corals are defined as those that are responsible for the persistent, hard, three-dimensional structure of a coral reef. In general, this classification will include all members of Order Scleractinia, as well as some other small groups of non-scleractinian corals with hard skeletons, including fire corals (Family Milleporidea), blue coral (Order Helioporacea), and Stylasterid hydrocorals (Family Stylasteridae).
Soft Coral
TEXT
For the purposes of this image analysis, this category groups a collection of fairly related organisms that do not produce a substantial, rigid calcium carbonate skeleton and therefore are neither reef-builders nor do they lay new foundations for future corals. This classification will include members of Subclass Alcyonaria (octocorals), except blue coral and the organ pipe coral, which includes true soft corals, sea fans, sea whips, sea pens, and also members of the Order Antipatheria (black corals).
Coralline Alga
TEXT
For the purpose of these image analyses, CCA is defined as any calcified, hard, non-segmented, encrusting or branched, red (or pink) alga.
Turf Alga
TEXT
Turf algae is a category that includes numerous species from multiple evolutionary groups (red algae, green algae, brown algae, and cyanobacteria). These types of mixed algal assemblages are typically short in stature (< 2 cm in height), and often contain filamentous algae (hair-like morphologies) as opposed to fleshy algae (thick branched or sheet-like morphologies).
Macroalga
TEXT
Any alga whose structure can be seen in the photograph should be labeled as a macroalga rather than turf. Macroalgae possess numerous different types of morphologies that resemble leaves, blades, umbrellas, ferns, grapes, balls, feathers, branched shrubs, etc. Some macroalgae do possess calcification; however, for the purpose of image analyses here, calcified and fleshy representatives (with the exception of Halimeda sp., below) will be lumped together.
Sessile Invertebrate
TEXT
Many organisms besides corals and algae are found in coral reef ecosystems. This Tier 1 classification is to be used for animals that are permanently affixed to the substrate. Animals with ability to move about the substrate or swim are classified as Mobile Fauna.
Mobile Fauna
TEXT
Photographs capture a solitary instant in time. As a result, creatures that are not permanently affixed to a single location on the sea floor (e.g. sea cucumbers, sea stars, sea urchins, fish) sometimes also appear in photographs intended for benthic analysis. While every effort should be made to discern what the benthic classification is underneath the mobile fauna, if that is not possible, this classification category should be used. This is both a Tier 1 and Tier 2 classification category.
Sediment
TEXT
Sediment describes a "soft" benthos smaller than rubble (i.e. < 5 mm) which due to it's unsettled nature generally, but not always, is devoid of organisms growing on the individual gains comprising the sediment. However, sea grasses, macroalgae including Halimeda spp., and blue-green algae (a.k.a. cyanobacteria) can be found in soft sediment areas. If a classification point falls on an identifiable organism growing in sediment, that's what should be used for the point classification. The sediment classification should only be used if point falls on the sediment itself.
Unclassified
TEXT
A particular analysis point may be unclassified because image quality was poor, because not enough of the surrounding area is visible to definitively classify the organism underneath the point, because the benthos is obstructed by something other than mobile fauna, tape, wand, or shadow (e.g. bubble or smear on the camera lens, high turbidity in the water column).
Tape and Wand
TEXT
This category is appropriate when the point falls on the transect tape/line or tape hardware.

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Item Identification

Title: Benthic Image analysis classification scheme
Status: On Going
Abstract:

Classification Tiers, Categories, and Definitions

Notes:

Loaded by FGDC Metadata Uploader, batch 6156, 06-08-2015 16:28

Entity Information

Entity Type: Data File
Active Version?: Yes
Schema Name: GISDAT
Description:

Classification Tiers, Categories, and Definitions

Change Summary:

In 2022 'Crustose Coralline Red Alga (CCA)' was redefined as 'Coralline Alga', 'Hard Coral' was redefined as 'Coral' and 'Macroalga and Seagrass' was redefined as 'Macroalga'. A new classification 'Tape and Wand' was also added.

Data Attributes

Note: Metadata requirements do not apply to attributes for non-tabular entities.

Attribute Summary

Rubric Score Primary Key? Name Type Description
N/A
Coral TEXT For the purposes of this image analysis, hard corals are defined as those that are responsible for the persistent, hard, three-dimensional structure of a coral reef. In general, this classification will include all members of Order Scleractinia, as well as some other small groups of non-scleractinian corals with hard skeletons, including fire corals (Family Milleporidea), blue coral (Order Helioporacea), and Stylasterid hydrocorals (Family Stylasteridae).
N/A
Soft Coral TEXT For the purposes of this image analysis, this category groups a collection of fairly related organisms that do not produce a substantial, rigid calcium carbonate skeleton and therefore are neither reef-builders nor do they lay new foundations for future corals. This classification will include members of Subclass Alcyonaria (octocorals), except blue coral and the organ pipe coral, which includes true soft corals, sea fans, sea whips, sea pens, and also members of the Order Antipatheria (black corals).
N/A
Coralline Alga TEXT For the purpose of these image analyses, CCA is defined as any calcified, hard, non-segmented, encrusting or branched, red (or pink) alga.
N/A
Turf Alga TEXT Turf algae is a category that includes numerous species from multiple evolutionary groups (red algae, green algae, brown algae, and cyanobacteria). These types of mixed algal assemblages are typically short in stature (< 2 cm in height), and often contain filamentous algae (hair-like morphologies) as opposed to fleshy algae (thick branched or sheet-like morphologies).
N/A
Macroalga TEXT Any alga whose structure can be seen in the photograph should be labeled as a macroalga rather than turf. Macroalgae possess numerous different types of morphologies that resemble leaves, blades, umbrellas, ferns, grapes, balls, feathers, branched shrubs, etc. Some macroalgae do possess calcification; however, for the purpose of image analyses here, calcified and fleshy representatives (with the exception of Halimeda sp., below) will be lumped together.
N/A
Sessile Invertebrate TEXT Many organisms besides corals and algae are found in coral reef ecosystems. This Tier 1 classification is to be used for animals that are permanently affixed to the substrate. Animals with ability to move about the substrate or swim are classified as Mobile Fauna.
N/A
Mobile Fauna TEXT Photographs capture a solitary instant in time. As a result, creatures that are not permanently affixed to a single location on the sea floor (e.g. sea cucumbers, sea stars, sea urchins, fish) sometimes also appear in photographs intended for benthic analysis. While every effort should be made to discern what the benthic classification is underneath the mobile fauna, if that is not possible, this classification category should be used. This is both a Tier 1 and Tier 2 classification category.
N/A
Sediment TEXT Sediment describes a "soft" benthos smaller than rubble (i.e. < 5 mm) which due to it's unsettled nature generally, but not always, is devoid of organisms growing on the individual gains comprising the sediment. However, sea grasses, macroalgae including Halimeda spp., and blue-green algae (a.k.a. cyanobacteria) can be found in soft sediment areas. If a classification point falls on an identifiable organism growing in sediment, that's what should be used for the point classification. The sediment classification should only be used if point falls on the sediment itself.
N/A
Unclassified TEXT A particular analysis point may be unclassified because image quality was poor, because not enough of the surrounding area is visible to definitively classify the organism underneath the point, because the benthos is obstructed by something other than mobile fauna, tape, wand, or shadow (e.g. bubble or smear on the camera lens, high turbidity in the water column).
N/A
Tape and Wand TEXT This category is appropriate when the point falls on the transect tape/line or tape hardware.

Attribute Details

Coral

CC ID: 370424
Seq. Order: 1
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

For the purposes of this image analysis, hard corals are defined as those that are responsible for the persistent, hard, three-dimensional structure of a coral reef. In general, this classification will include all members of Order Scleractinia, as well as some other small groups of non-scleractinian corals with hard skeletons, including fire corals (Family Milleporidea), blue coral (Order Helioporacea), and Stylasterid hydrocorals (Family Stylasteridae).

Allowed Values: Massive (MASS), Tabulate (TAB), Encrusting (ENC), Branching (BR), Columnar (COL), Free-living (FREE), Foliose (FOL), Non-scleractinian hard coral (NS)

Soft Coral

CC ID: 370429
Seq. Order: 2
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

For the purposes of this image analysis, this category groups a collection of fairly related organisms that do not produce a substantial, rigid calcium carbonate skeleton and therefore are neither reef-builders nor do they lay new foundations for future corals. This classification will include members of Subclass Alcyonaria (octocorals), except blue coral and the organ pipe coral, which includes true soft corals, sea fans, sea whips, sea pens, and also members of the Order Antipatheria (black corals).

Allowed Values: Octocoral (OCT), Unclassified (USC)

Coralline Alga

CC ID: 370423
Seq. Order: 3
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

For the purpose of these image analyses, CCA is defined as any calcified, hard, non-segmented, encrusting or branched, red (or pink) alga.

Allowed Values: CCA growing on rubble substrate (CCAR), CCA growing on hard[bottom] substrate (CCAH)

Turf Alga

CC ID: 370430
Seq. Order: 4
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Turf algae is a category that includes numerous species from multiple evolutionary groups (red algae, green algae, brown algae, and cyanobacteria). These types of mixed algal assemblages are typically short in stature (< 2 cm in height), and often contain filamentous algae (hair-like morphologies) as opposed to fleshy algae (thick branched or sheet-like morphologies).

Allowed Values: Visible turf on rubble substrate (TURFR), Visible turf on hard[bottom] substrate (TURFH), [Invisible turf on] Rubble substrate (RUB), [Invisible turf on] Hard[bottom] substrate (HARD)

Macroalga

CC ID: 370425
Seq. Order: 5
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Any alga whose structure can be seen in the photograph should be labeled as a macroalga rather than turf. Macroalgae possess numerous different types of morphologies that resemble leaves, blades, umbrellas, ferns, grapes, balls, feathers, branched shrubs, etc. Some macroalgae do possess calcification; however, for the purpose of image analyses here, calcified and fleshy representatives (with the exception of Halimeda sp., below) will be lumped together.

Allowed Values: Upright macroalga (UPMA), Encrusting macroalga (EMA), Blue-green macroalga (a.k.a. cyanobacteria) (BGMA), Halimeda sp. (HAL), Seagrass

Sessile Invertebrate

CC ID: 370428
Seq. Order: 6
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Many organisms besides corals and algae are found in coral reef ecosystems. This Tier 1 classification is to be used for animals that are permanently affixed to the substrate. Animals with ability to move about the substrate or swim are classified as Mobile Fauna.

Allowed Values: Giant clam (GC), Bivalve (BI), Sponge (SP), Tunicate (TUN), Bryozoan (BRY), Corallimorph (CMOR), Anemone (AMNE), Zoanthid (ZO), Unclassified (UI)

Mobile Fauna

CC ID: 370426
Seq. Order: 7
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Photographs capture a solitary instant in time. As a result, creatures that are not permanently affixed to a single location on the sea floor (e.g. sea cucumbers, sea stars, sea urchins, fish) sometimes also appear in photographs intended for benthic analysis. While every effort should be made to discern what the benthic classification is underneath the mobile fauna, if that is not possible, this classification category should be used. This is both a Tier 1 and Tier 2 classification category.

Allowed Values: Mobile fauna (MOBF)

Sediment

CC ID: 370427
Seq. Order: 8
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

Sediment describes a "soft" benthos smaller than rubble (i.e. < 5 mm) which due to it's unsettled nature generally, but not always, is devoid of organisms growing on the individual gains comprising the sediment. However, sea grasses, macroalgae including Halimeda spp., and blue-green algae (a.k.a. cyanobacteria) can be found in soft sediment areas. If a classification point falls on an identifiable organism growing in sediment, that's what should be used for the point classification. The sediment classification should only be used if point falls on the sediment itself.

Allowed Values: Sand (SAND), Fine sediment (FINE)

Unclassified

CC ID: 370431
Seq. Order: 9
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

A particular analysis point may be unclassified because image quality was poor, because not enough of the surrounding area is visible to definitively classify the organism underneath the point, because the benthos is obstructed by something other than mobile fauna, tape, wand, or shadow (e.g. bubble or smear on the camera lens, high turbidity in the water column).

Allowed Values: Tape, Wand, or Shadow (TAPE, WAND, SHAD), Unclassified (UNK)

Tape and Wand

CC ID: 1257176
Seq. Order: 10
Data Storage Type: TEXT
Required: No
Primary Key: No
Status: Active
Description:

This category is appropriate when the point falls on the transect tape/line or tape hardware.

Catalog Details

Catalog Item ID: 36159
GUID: gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:36159
Metadata Record Created By: Troy T Kanemura
Metadata Record Created: 2016-12-30 17:28+0000
Metadata Record Last Modified By: Lori H Luers
Metadata Record Last Modified: 2023-06-20 18:28+0000
Metadata Record Published: 2023-06-20
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