Mariana Archipelago Coral Reef Benthic Images from Stratified Random Surveys Since 2014

National Coral Reef Monitoring Program benthic habitat imagery from photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago since 2014. The data were collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as part of Rapid Ecological Assessment surveys to produce estimates of benthic cover, taxonomic composition, and generic richness. The stratified random sampling design encompasses reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0-30 meter depth range, stratified by island, reef zone, and depth.

Use Cases

• Estimating relative abundance and benthic cover based on photo-quadrat imagery.
• Analyzing benthic community taxonomic composition and generic richness across strata.
• Monitoring long-term coral reef ecosystem changes based on surveys conducted since 2014.
• Comparing site-level ecological metrics across islands, reef zones, and depth ranges using the stratified random design.

Strengths

• Data collection employs a stratified random sampling design to reduce estimate variance.
• Surveys have been conducted consistently across the Mariana archipelago since 2014.
• Sampling domain covers the majority of mapped reef and hard bottom habitats in the 0-30 meter depth range.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description notes that site-level estimates and site-to-site comparisons should be used with caution.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Benthic photo-quadrat surveys conducted along transects at stratified random sites as part of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys.

Time Range

Since 2014

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 23:01:12.353011; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Stratified random sites across the Mariana archipelago.