Structure-from-Motion Coral Vital Rates derived from Fixed Site Imagery collected across the Mariana Archipelago from 2014-05-06 to 2022-08-06 (NCEI Accession 0282457)

The data described here are coral planar area measurements derived from the GIS analysis of benthic photomosaic imagery. A timeseries dataset was produced from an analysis of data collected between 2014 and 2022 in the Mariana Archipelago by the NOAA Fisheries, Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD).
The source imagery was collected using a Structure from Motion (SfM) approach during in-water surveys conducted by divers, and is documented and described separately here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/63091. All sites were surveyed at least twice and image collection intervals ranged from 2-3 years apart. In situ surveys, post-processing, and analysis were funded by NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and Ocean Acidification Program (OAP).

Survey sites consisted of sites previously established by collaborators from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and new sites established in 2019 by NOAA ESD. During each survey, physical markings that identify each permanent survey site were either established or found using GPS coordinates previously collected. During image collection, the diver swam at a constant distance from the bottom of the reef while continuously capturing overlapping photographs, capturing approximately 100 m2 of reef habitat. The photographs were processed using Agisoft Metashape to generate 3D dense point clouds (DPCs) and 2D orthorectified images (orthoprojections). Orthoprojections were uploaded to ArcGIS and then TagLab, where corals were annotated and tracked over time to measure changes in vital rates (e.g. recruitment, mortality, growth).

In total, this dataset includes planar area and associated vital rates measurements for 4 genera (Pocillopora, Montipora, Acropora and Porites) at 10 sites throughout the Mariana Archipelago.