GBR Manta Tow Surveys: Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Density and Benthic Cover, 1986-2005

The Australian Institute of Marine Science Long-Term Monitoring Program (LTMP) conducted large-scale manta tow surveys from 1986 to 2005 to quantify spatial and temporal changes in crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) density and benthic cover on the Great Barrier Reef. The highest overall mean number of COTS per tow was 1.17 in 1988, and active or incipient outbreaks were recorded on 16% and 11% of surveyed reefs in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Observations were interpolated over the whole GBR using Generalized Additive Models, producing gridded data available as KML and ASCII grid files.

Use Cases

• Modeling the southward movement of COTS outbreak waves based on temporal density fluctuations and larval transport patterns described.
• Analyzing the relationship between COTS density and benthic cover (hard corals, soft corals, dead corals) estimated on each tow.
• Spatial analysis of reef health and outbreak hotspots across the Great Barrier Reef using the interpolated gridded data.
• Studying long-term population trends and independent outbreak events in specific sectors like the Swains.

Strengths

• Long-term temporal coverage spanning nearly two decades from 1986 to 2005.
• Provides specific quantitative metrics, such as a mean of 1.17 COTS per tow in 1988 and outbreak percentages on 16% (2004) and 11% (2005) of reefs.
• Data has been spatially interpolated over the entire Great Barrier Reef using Generalized Additive Models, creating a continuous surface.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to the manta tow survey methodology and the Great Barrier Reef focus.

Provenance

Source

Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) Long-Term Monitoring Program (LTMP), via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Broad-scale manta tow surveys counting crown-of-thorns starfish and estimating benthic cover, with subsequent spatial interpolation using Generalized Additive Models.

Time Range

1986 to 2005

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 19:12:35.016394; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef