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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Corallivory estimates derived from Structure-from-Motion fixed site imagery in the Mariana Archipelago in 2022 (NCEI Accession 0308745)

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The data described here are derived corallivory data from Structure-from-Motion (SfM) imagery collected during diver surveys from April - August of 2022. Data collection was conducted by the NOAA Fisheries, Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD). 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, starting as far back as 2014, and new sites established in 2019 by NOAA ESD. During each survey, physical markings which 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. 3D dense point clouds (DPCs) and 2D orthorectified images (orthoprojections) derived from these photographs were used to measure corallivory.

Corals annotated for corallivory bite scars were originally delineated as part of the Vital Rates project. Vital Rates annotation methods are documented separately here: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0282457. All corals delineated in the 2022 time series were assessed for corallivory. SfM imagery is not included in this accession, but can be accessed via InPort Record 63091.

In total, this dataset includes planar area and associated corallivory measurements for 3 genera (Pocillopora, Porites, and Acropora) at 10 sites throughout the Mariana Archipelago.
  • Cite as: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2025). Corallivory estimates derived from Structure-from-Motion fixed site imagery in the Mariana Archipelago in 2022 (NCEI Accession 0308745). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0308745. In Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Benthic cover and other related datasets derived from Structure-from-Motion (SfM) imagery of coral reef ecosystems in Pacific Islands Regions. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/PIFSC-SfM-DerivedData. Accessed [date].
gov.noaa.nodc:0308745
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Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 2022-04-21 to 2022-08-08
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: 144.637741
East: 145.812292
South: 13.23268
North: 20.036568
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
  • Benthic cover and other related datasets derived from Structure-from-Motion (SfM) imagery of coral reef ecosystems in Pacific Islands Regions
  • Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2025: Corallivory estimates derived from Structure-from-Motion fixed site imagery in the Mariana Archipelaog in 2022
  • Escontrela Dieguez D, Lee R, Kindinger TL, Couch CS, Charendoff J. 2023. Quantifying Corallivory from Structure-from-Motion Models. U.S. Dept. of Commerice, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-PIFSC-149, 8182 p. https://doi.org/10.25923/c64k-gh75
  • Suka R, Asbury M, Couch C, Gray A, Winston M, Oliver T. 2019. Processing Photomosaic Imagery of Coral Reefs Using Structure-from-Motion Standard Operating Procedures. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Technical Memorandum NOAA-TM-NMFS-PIFSC-93, 54 p. https://doi.org/10.25923/h2q8-jv47
  • Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2025: Structure from Motion (SfM) benthic images collected from Fixed Sites across the U.S. Pacific since 2019
  • Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2023). 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). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0282457
    • Parent ID (indicates this dataset is related to other data):
    • gov.noaa.nodc:PIFSC-SfM-DerivedData
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2025-10-28
  • creation: 2025-10-17
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Purpose Corallivory, or coral predation, is an important ecological process on coral reefs. Corallivores can, for example, mediate coral species distributions on coral reefs. However, when left unchecked, corallivores can cause mass mortality of corals. Corallivores can also transmit diseases and can cause reductions in coral growth and reproduction as corals redirect limited metabolic resources to wound healing. Moreover, corallivory can act synergistically or additively with other stressors, further exacerbating the threats corals face. Better tools are needed to rapidly and accurately assess coral reefs for excess predation in order to enact timely management interventions when needed. Past monitoring techniques for corallivory have included in situ surveys, which are accurate but expensive, and analysis of 2D benthic imagery, which is fast but inaccurate. SfM techniques allow for the surveying of broader spatial extents as underwater time can be reallocated from conducting surveys at one location to gathering images for different models at different sites. Moreover, as opposed to 2D benthic imagery, SfM models allow annotators to view the coral reef in 3D making annotations more accurate as they are less likely to miss bite marks that may otherwise be hidden.
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2025). Corallivory estimates derived from Structure-from-Motion fixed site imagery in the Mariana Archipelago in 2022 (NCEI Accession 0308745). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0308745. In Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Benthic cover and other related datasets derived from Structure-from-Motion (SfM) imagery of coral reef ecosystems in Pacific Islands Regions. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/PIFSC-SfM-DerivedData. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors
Principal Investigators
Collaborators
Contributors
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Acknowledgments
  • Funding Agency: Coral Reef Conservation Program
  • Funding Agency: NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus
  • Numeric Data Sets > Benthic
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Predation > Coral Predation
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Feeding Scars On Hard Coral > COTS
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Feeding Scars On Hard Coral > Fish
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Feeding Scars On Hard Coral > Gastropod
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Damage Assessment > Biological
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis > Quadrat Monitoring > Photograph Analysis
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Coral Colony Size and Condition
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Scleractinia (stony corals)
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords Provider Keywords
  • CORAL - CONDITION
  • CORAL - FISH BITES (count and category)
  • CORAL - PATCH SIZE
  • Corallivory
  • SfM
  • Structure from Motion
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Contributing Data Centers
  • CRED
  • CREP
  • Coral Reef Ecosystem Division
  • Coral Reef Ecosystem Program
  • ESD
  • Ecosystem Sciences Division
  • PIFSC
  • Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Provider Instruments
  • Agisoft Metashape
  • GIS
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS CoRIS Place Thesarus
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Asuncion Island > Asuncion Island (19N145E0001)
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Maug > Maug Island (20N145E0001)
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000)
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Pagan > Pagan Island (18N145E0001)
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Saipan > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Asuncion Island > Asuncion Island (19N145E0001)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Mariana Archipelago > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Maug Island > Maug Island (20N145E0001)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Pagan Island > Pagan Island (18N145E0001)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Saipan Island > Saipan Island (15N145E0002)
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords Provider Place Names
  • Mariana Archipelago
Project keywords NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS CRCP Project
  • 31430
  • Maximizing information and resilience indicators extracted from monitoring efforts to inform fisheries management
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Keywords Send2NCEI Submission Package ID
  • 2J39XL
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2025). Corallivory estimates derived from Structure-from-Motion fixed site imagery in the Mariana Archipelago in 2022 (NCEI Accession 0308745). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0308745. In Ecosystem Sciences Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. Benthic cover and other related datasets derived from Structure-from-Motion (SfM) imagery of coral reef ecosystems in Pacific Islands Regions. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/PIFSC-SfM-DerivedData. Accessed [date].
Data License
Access Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
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  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2025-10-28T18:39:04Z - NCEI Accession 0308745 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • Parameter or Variable: CORAL - FISH BITES (count and category) (measured); Units: unitless; Observation Category: laboratory analysis; Sampling Instrument: photograph; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Structure-from-motion imagery was collected and photographs were processed using Agisoft Metashape software to generate 2D orthomosaics. These orthomosaics were uploaded to ArcGIS Pro to be annotated for fish bites to obtain corallivory estimates.; Data Quality Method: Mosaic images were created and scaled using Agisoft Metashape Professional. Corallivory estimates were made using ArcGIS Pro. Corallivory data were extracted by SfM image annotators who were trained and underwent a series of calibration trainings. All annotators proved to be proficient in identifying bite mark categories.
  • Parameter or Variable: CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION (measured); Units: unitless; Observation Category: laboratory analysis; Sampling Instrument: photograph; Sampling and Analyzing Method: 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. Coral was identified to lowest taxonomic level possible (usually genus); Data Quality Method: Mosaic images were created and scaled using Agisoft Metashape Professional. Corallivory estimates were made using ArcGIS Pro. Coral demographics were extracted by SfM image annotators who were trained and underwent a series of calibration trainings. All annotators proved to be proficient in identifying coral taxon.
  • Parameter or Variable: CORAL - PATCH SIZE (measured); Units: centimeter and meter; Observation Category: GIS product; Sampling Instrument: GIS; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Patch area, perimeter, and length measured using ArcGIS
  • Parameter or Variable: CORAL - CONDITION (measured); Units: unitless; Observation Category: laboratory analysis; Sampling Instrument: photograph; Sampling and Analyzing Method: Structure-from-motion imagery was collected and raw imagery was annotated to determine if bite marks were new, healing, or old.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • photograph
Last Modified: 2025-10-28T22:43:55Z
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