NOAA Coral Reef Benthic Images from Hawaiian Archipelago Since 2013

Benthic habitat imagery from photo-quadrat surveys conducted by NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. The surveys are part of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program across the Hawaiian Archipelago in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2024. A stratified random sampling design was employed across reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0-30 meter depth range.

Use Cases

• Estimate coral reef percent cover based on benthic imagery
• Analyze benthic community taxonomic composition from photo-quadrat surveys
• Compare coral density variance across stratified environmental covariates
• Monitor reef zone and depth habitat changes over time
• Assess relative generic richness across the Hawaiian Archipelago

Strengths

• Data collection spans multiple years (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2024)
• Sampling design employs stratification by island, reef zone, and depth
• Survey domain covers mapped reef and hard bottom habitats in 0-30 m depth range

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Site-level estimates and comparisons should be used with caution as noted in the description

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites as part of Rapid Ecological Assessment surveys.

Time Range

2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 23:02:17.183760

Geography

Hawaiian Archipelago, including Main Hawaiian Islands and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands