Adult Coral Belt Observations Data Dictionary

Mission identifier.

Code for REGION_NAME.

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.

3-letter code for ISLAND.

Name of island or atoll surveyed in the Pacific Islands region (REGION_NAME).

The code for the site surveyed at the island or atoll (ISLAND). Combines a 3-letter island code (ISLANDCODE) with a 2-5 digit site number.

Latitude in decimal degrees, WGS84, for the given SITE.

Longitude in decimal degrees, WGS84 for the given SITE.

The zone for the given SITE (Forereef, Backreef, Protected Slope, Lagoon).

3-letter code for HABITAT_TYPE. Habitat determination described in the 2018 SOP by Swanson et. al.

Habitat type (e.g., aggregate reef, reef rubble, pavement) for the given SITE.

Minimum SITE depth (ft). NULL if data are from SFM surveys or depth values were not recorded.

Maximum SITE depth (ft). NULL if data are from SFM surveys or depth values were not recorded.

Classification of depth (shallow, mid, deep) based on midpoint between minimum and maximum depths of transect(s) of a given SITE. Shallow: >0-6 m, Mid: >6-18 m, Deep: >18-30 m

Unique identifier created each time a SITE is surveyed on a DATE_.

Local date the survey was conducted.

Numeric day the survey was conducted (DATE_).

Numeric month the survey was conducted (DATE_).

4-digit year the survey was conducted (DATE_).

Unique identifier for each transect surveyed within a SITE. A value of -999 denotes a transect with a repeated segment.

Flag to indicate original segments (0), or those that were repeats of the segment and can be excluded (-1)

Flag (-1) to indicate that a re-survey of the same site/segment was done by an additional diver. This marks both the original segment that was repeated, and the replicate itself. This flag was added starting 2019 and will be null for prior years.

Segment number (0,5,10,or 15). Segments are within a TRANSECT and are typically 1 x 2.5 m in size and situated 2.5 m apart.

Segment length (m).

Segment width (m).

Coral colony identifier. NULL if no colony was observed, indicated with TAXONCODE/SPECIES = 'AAAA'.

Length of adult coral colony (cm). Required if colony observed. Value -9 is a placeholder and represents a missing value. Length of adult Scleractinian (hard/stony) coral colonies >= 5 cm unless flagged as a fragment (FRAGMENT_YN = -1).

Coral morphology type (branching, columnar, encrusting, etc.). Required if colony observed.

Code for MORPHOLOGY.

Flag to indicate observation is a coral fragment (-1), as opposed to a whole coral colony (0). Collection of this data began in 2017 and will be null prior.

Percentage of older dead coral (0-100%), as opposed to recently dead coral recorded in RECENTDEAD. Required. Value -9 is a placeholder and represents a missing value. Sum of OLDDEAD + RECENTDEAD_1 + RECENTDEAD_2 + RECENTDEAD_3 should not exceed 100.

Percentage of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral (0-100%), as opposed to older dead coral recorded in OLDDEAD. Value -9 is a placeholder and represents a missing value. Sum of OLDDEAD + RECENTDEAD_1 + RECENTDEAD_2 + RECENTDEAD_3 should not exceed 100.

Code for RECENT_GENERAL_CAUSE_DESC_1.

General cause of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral recorded in RECENTDEAD_1. Required if RECENTDEAD_1 > 0.

Code for RECENT_SPECIFIC_CAUSE_DESC_1.

Specific cause of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral recorded in RECENTDEAD_1. Required if RECENTDEAD_1 > 0.

Percentage of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral (0-100%). Only used if more than one cause of coral mortality was observed. Sum of OLDDEAD + RECENTDEAD_1 + RECENTDEAD_2 + RECENTDEAD_3 should not exceed 100.

Code for RECENT_GENERAL_CAUSE_DESC_2.

General cause of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral recorded in RECENTDEAD_2. Required if RECENTDEAD_2 > 0.

Code for RECENT_SPECIFIC_CAUSE_DESC_2.

Specific cause of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral recorded in RECENTDEAD_2. Required if RECENTDEAD_2 > 0.

Percentage of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral (0-100%). Only used if more than two causes of coral mortality were observed. Added in 2018. Sum of OLDDEAD + RECENTDEAD_1 + RECENTDEAD_2 + RECENTDEAD_3 should not exceed 100.

Code for RECENT_GENERAL_CAUSE_DESC_3.

General cause of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral recorded in RECENTDEAD_3. Required if RECENTDEAD_3 > 0.

Code for RECENT_SPECIFIC_CAUSE_DESC_3.

Specific cause of recently dead (freshly denuded skeleton not fouled by algae) coral recorded in RECENTDEAD_3. Required if RECENTDEAD_3 > 0.

Code for CONDITION_1_DESC.

Condition/disease observed affecting the coral colony (e.g., bleaching, infection, infestation, pigmentation response, growth anomaly, etc.), but which does not cause RECENT DEAD.

Extent of condition/disease observed on coral colony (5-100). Required when CONDITION_1 is recorded. Sum of EXTENT_1, EXTENT_2 and EXTENT_3 must not exceed 100. Value -9 is a placeholder and represents a missing value.

Severity of condition/disease observed on coral colony (scale of 1-5 from least to most severe). Required only when CONDITION_1 = Environmental / Thermal Bleaching (condition code = BLE or BLP). Value -9 is a placeholder and represents a missing value.

Code for CONDITION_2_DESC.

Condition/disease observed affecting the coral colony (e.g., bleaching, infection, infestation, pigmentation response, growth anomaly, etc.), but which does not cause RECENT DEAD.

Extent of condition/disease observed on coral colony (5-100). Required when CONDITION_2 is recorded. Sum of EXTENT_1, EXTENT_2 and EXTENT_3 must not exceed 100.

Severity of condition/disease observed on coral colony (scale of 1-3 from least to most severe). Required only when CONDITION_2 = Environmental / Thermal Bleaching (condition code = BLE or BLP).

Code for CONDITION_3_DESC.

Condition/disease observed affecting the coral colony (e.g., bleaching, infection, infestation, pigmentation response, growth anomaly, etc.), but which does not cause RECENT DEAD. Only used if more than two coral conditions/diseases were observed.

Extent of condition/disease observed on coral colony (5-100). Required when CONDITION_3 is recorded. Sum of EXTENT_1, EXTENT_2 and EXTENT_3 must not exceed 100.

Severity of condition/disease observed on coral colony (scale of 1-5 from least to most severe). Required only when CONDITION_3 = Environmental / Thermal Bleaching (condition code = BLE or BLP).

4-letter code for TAXONNAME when recorded. Code AAAA represents a SEGMENT that was surveyed and no individual colonies were found. Note taxonomic codes and names may be updated; refer to column TAXONCODE_2024 for the most recent taxoncode.

Taxoncode of coral colony using the most recent taxoncode. Taxoncodes that were updated are noted in the reference table for genus and species codes. Note updated genus codes can be looked up using the reference table; for taxoncodes 'MVAL', 'MONS', 'MCUR', or 'MANN', genus codes changed.

Scientific name of observed organism to the finest taxonomic resolution that divers can identify a colony to, either to species or genus level identification (see RANK). Null if no colony was observed with taxoncode 'AAAA'

Lowest defined rank in taxonomic hierarchy, from the World Registry of Marine Species (WoRMS) database. NULL if TAXONCODE = 'UNKN'.

Taxonomic classification: Phylum of observed organism (TAXONNAME).

Taxonomic classification: Class of observed organism (TAXONNAME).

Taxonomic classification: Order of observed organism (TAXONNAME).

Taxonomic classification: Family of observed organism (TAXONNAME).

4-letter code for GENUS. Note updated genus codes can be looked up using the reference table; for taxoncodes 'MVAL', 'MONS', 'MCUR', or 'MANN', genus codes were updated.

Taxonomic classification: Genus name of observed organism (TAXONNAME). NULL if TAXONNAME = Unknown Scleractinian. Note updated genera can be looked up using the reference table; for taxoncodes 'MVAL', 'MONS', 'MCUR', or 'MANN', genera were updated.

Taxonomic classification: the true scientific name (genus and species) of the observed organism (TAXONNAME). If NULL, organism not identified to species taxonomic level (see RANK).

Aphia ID from the World Registry of Marine Species (WoRMS) database. Null if organism not identified to species taxonomic level (see RANK). If value = 0, the species does not exist in WoRMS.

Data collection method for belt transects to indicate diver or SfM-based surveys. Collecting demographic data with SfM imagery (GIS) began in 2023.

Flag (-1) to indicate a coral with a max diameter that expands past image boundaries if observation comes from an SfM survey. Will be null for data not derived via SfM.