Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: line-point-intercept (LPI) surveys for benthic cover at coral reef sites across the Pacific Ocean from 2005-10-03 to 2012-05-19 (NCEI Accession 0163748)
A Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) survey is a collection of inter-disciplinary protocols for gathering data pertaining to ecologically relevant biological components of a reef habitat over small spatial scales. A key facet of a REA survey includes specialists in different disciplines, including Fish, Coral, Algae, and Invertebrates. The REA surveys are conducted along a set of transect lines that are laid out by the first team to enter the water (i.e., the fish team). In this way, all of the biotic observations are referenced with regard to the same spatial coordinates, producing a more integrated biological description of a reef community than would any single, specialized survey.
At each REA survey site, the Line-Point-Intercept (LPI) methodology is implemented to quantitatively document the benthic cover along two consecutively placed, 25 m line transects (with a 5 m inter-transect distance). The LPI diver determines the benthic composition at pre-determined intervals along the transect line. During the initial years (2005-2008) of the Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) LPI surveys were conducted at 50-cm intervals for a total of 50 data points per transect; subsequently (2010–2012) LPI surveys were conducted at 20-cm intervals for a total of 125 data points per transect.
All living benthic elements (e.g., coral, algae, and other sessile invertebrates) are identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible, often substituting functional group categories for turf algae and crustose coralline algae when identification in the field is extremely difficult. Raw survey data consist of counts of benthic elements, including but not limited to live coral, dead coral, carbonate pavement, sand, coral rubble, fleshy macroalgae, crustose coralline algae, turfalgae, as well as other sessile invertebrates along the two transects. The data allows for the assessment and monitoring of community structure and composition, and provide the basis for computing quantitative estimates of percent benthic cover at higher taxonomic levels like functional group (live coral, macroalgae, turf algae) or on a finer taxonomic resolution such as genus level. However, actual percent benthic cover data is not included in this submission.
At each REA survey site, the Line-Point-Intercept (LPI) methodology is implemented to quantitatively document the benthic cover along two consecutively placed, 25 m line transects (with a 5 m inter-transect distance). The LPI diver determines the benthic composition at pre-determined intervals along the transect line. During the initial years (2005-2008) of the Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP) LPI surveys were conducted at 50-cm intervals for a total of 50 data points per transect; subsequently (2010–2012) LPI surveys were conducted at 20-cm intervals for a total of 125 data points per transect.
All living benthic elements (e.g., coral, algae, and other sessile invertebrates) are identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible, often substituting functional group categories for turf algae and crustose coralline algae when identification in the field is extremely difficult. Raw survey data consist of counts of benthic elements, including but not limited to live coral, dead coral, carbonate pavement, sand, coral rubble, fleshy macroalgae, crustose coralline algae, turfalgae, as well as other sessile invertebrates along the two transects. The data allows for the assessment and monitoring of community structure and composition, and provide the basis for computing quantitative estimates of percent benthic cover at higher taxonomic levels like functional group (live coral, macroalgae, turf algae) or on a finer taxonomic resolution such as genus level. However, actual percent benthic cover data is not included in this submission.
Dataset Citation
- Cite as: Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: line-point-intercept (LPI) surveys for benthic cover at coral reef sites across the Pacific Ocean from 2005-10-03 to 2012-05-19 (NCEI Accession 0163748). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0163748. Accessed [date].
Dataset Identifiers
ISO 19115-2 Metadata
gov.noaa.nodc:0163748
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NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information +1-301-713-3277 ncei.info@noaa.gov |
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NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Time Period | 2005-10-03 to 2012-05-19 |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: 144.4239
East: -154.881
South: -14.5596
North: 28.4546
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Purpose | The Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP), established by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) and supported by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), is tasked with documenting and understanding the status and trends of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. Pacific. Pacific RAMP involves interdisciplinary monitoring of oceanographic conditions and biological surveys of organisms associated with hard-bottomed habitats in the 0 - 30 m depth range. Regions are surveyed on a biennial cycle and aims to support integrated, consistent and comparable monitoring of coral reefs across all U.S.-affiliated regions. |
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Last Modified: 2024-09-17T19:16:44Z
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For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov