Photo-transect surveys document coral community structure at six coastal sites in Hawaii over periods from 12 to 30 years. The dataset was compiled by NOAA_NCEI and captures conditions from 1973 through 2002. It compares areas impacted by resort development and sewage outfalls to pristine sites affected only by natural storm events.
Use Cases
- Analyze coral community structure changes over time at sites with active sewage outfalls versus pristine control sites.
- Model recovery rates of coral reefs following episodic storm events documented in the time-series.
- Compare sedimentation impact on coral health in semi-enclosed embayments to open coastal water sites.
- Assess the long-term effect of shoreline development on reef composition using multi-decade survey data.
Strengths
- Multi-decade time-series spanning up to 30 years of observations.
- Comparative data from six distinct sites representing different stress regimes.
- Quantitative data collection via standardized photo-transect surveys.
Limitations
- Sample size is limited to six specific coastal sites in Hawaii.
- The dataset ends in 2002, lacking recent observations.
- Specific column-level data and row counts are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA_NCEI
- Collection Method
- Quantitative photo-transect surveys repeated over time.
- Time Range
- 1973 to 2002
- Freshness
- Data collection concluded in 2002; no updates provided.
- Geography
- Six coastal sites in Hawaii