gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:24527 eng UTF8 dataset CSV Files Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center 808-725-5300 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Website Website for this organization information 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. resourceProvider DesRochers, Annette M (808)725-5461 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA annette.desrochers@noaa.gov 8 am - 5 pm Email preferred pointOfContact Akridge, Michael W (808)725-5483 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA michael.akridge@noaa.gov pointOfContact 2026-03-04T19:17:28 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Rapid Ecological Assessment Quadrat Surveys of Corals around the Marianas Islands from 2003 to 2007 RAMP: Quadrat Surveys of Corals 2014-10-14 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 24527 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/24527 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center 808-725-5360 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA pifsc.info@noaa.gov https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Website Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center homepage information 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. originator https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/coral_reef_ecosystem_monitoring_reports.php WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Coral reef ecosystem monitoring report of the Mariana Archipelago: 2003 - 2007. Chapter 2: Methods and Operational Background, provides a comprehensive review of the benthic monitoring methods employed in the Marianas from 2003-2007. download https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/library/pubs/SP-10-002.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Coral reef ecosystems of the Mariana Archipelago: a 2003 - 2007 overview. download https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/library/pubs/cruise/Sette/CR0307-REB.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL MARAMP 2003, NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette Cruise Report. Oscar E. Sette, Cruise 03-07. Coral Reef Ecosystem Research 19 Aug - 30 Sep 2003. Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands and Guam. download https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/library/pubs/cruise/Sette/CR051011-1.RES.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL MARAMP 2005, NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette Cruise Report. Oscar E. Sette, Cruise 05-10 and 05-11. Coral Reef Ecosystem Assessment and Research 16 Aug - 1 Oct 2005. Marianas Archipelago: (Saipan Guguan, Pagan, Asuncion, Uracas, Maug, Supply Reef, Agrihan, Alamagan, Zelandia Bank Sarigan, Anatahan, Pathfinder, Arakane, Tinian, Aguijan, and Rota). download https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/library/pubs/cruise/Sette/CR0512-1.RES.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL MARAMP 2005, NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette Cruise Report. Oscar E. Sette, Cruise 05-12. Coral Reef Ecosystem Assessment and Research, 3-9 Oct 2005. Marianas Archipelago: (Island of Guam, Santa Rosa Reef, and Galvez Bank). download https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/library/pubs/cruise/Hiialakai/CRHI0703-RS.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL MARAMP 2007, NOAA Ship Hi‘ialakai Cruise Report. Hi‘ialakai, Cruise 07-03. Coral Reef Ecosystem Research 25 May - 9 June 2007. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands: Anatahan, Sarigan, Zealandia Bank, Guguan, Alamagan, Paga, Agrihan, Asuncion, Maug, Supply Reef, Uracas (or Farallon de Pajaros). download tableDigital The Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP), established by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) of the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), is tasked with documenting and understanding the status and trends of coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. Pacific. Pacific RAMP involves an interdisciplinary series of integrated ecosystem observations of coral reefs around ~ 50 islands, atolls, and shallow-water banks of the Mariana Archipelago, American Samoa, the Hawaiian Archipelago, and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Pacific RAMP surveys are designed to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of the distribution, abundance, and diversity of corals, algae, other macro-invertebrates, and fishes in the context of their benthic habitats and oceanographic environments. As part of this Pacific-wide monitoring effort, CRED conducted its first Pacific RAMP research cruise to the Mariana Archipelago (MARAMP) in 2003, with subsequent cruises to follow on a biennial cycle through 2011, and on a triennial cycle thereafter when Pacific RAMP was implemented as part of NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). The coral data described herein were collected via Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys following the quadrat method, and conducted at specific reef sites around the islands and reefs of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) during MARAMP 2003, 2005, and 2007. During MARAMP 2003, 2005, and 2007, the majority of REA surveys were conducted along the fore reef slopes of islands at depths of 10-20 m; however, other habitat types were also surveyed. During REA surveys, biological assessment teams---a fish team, a coral team, and a combined algal and macro-invertebrate team---followed highly structured protocols that were repeated at each REA site. REA sites were selected in 2003 and, when possible, revisited during 2005 and 2007; a few additional sites were added in 2005 and 2007, and were chosen based on consultations with the resource management agencies of each jurisdiction. Quadrat surveys were conducted at all islands surveyed during MARAMP 2003, all but one island during MARAMP 2005, and at 10 of 15 islands during MARAMP 2007. The quadrat method was only employed during surveys in the Mariana Archipelago, and the method was retired from Pacific RAMP following MARAMP 2007. The quadrat survey data include species/genus identification of individual coral colonies and empirical size measurements (colony length and width) that can provide metrics such as generic richness and composition, coral-colony density, and size distribution (not included in the dataset), and can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive, accession #0129066. One of the primary objectives for the Pacific RAMP activities in the U.S. Pacific islands is to employ complementary and overlapping methods to assess and monitor species composition, abundance, percentage of cover, size distribution, diversity, and general health of fishes, corals, algae, and other macroinvertebrates in shallow-water (less than 35 meter) habitats. The quadrat surveys described herein are part of this long-term monitoring program in which corals, algae, fish, and other macro-invertebrates were co-sampled along the same set of transect lines at biennial intervals. These surveys precede the benthic monitoring methods adopted by the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) starting in 2013 and first employed in the Mariana Archipelago in 2014 as part of NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program's ongoing Pacific RAMP. PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program and partners completed Vargas-Angel, Bernardo (808)725-5423 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA bernardo.vargasangel@noaa.gov Email preferred. pointOfContact Vargas-Angel, Bernardo (808)725-5423 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA bernardo.vargasangel@noaa.gov Email preferred. custodian notPlanned https://data.nodc.noaa.gov/coris/data/NOAA/nmfs/pifsc/cred/coral_quadrat/BrowseGraphic_CoralQuadrat.png Browse graphic. PNG 1221 Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP): Biennial monitoring for the U.S. Pacific Islands and Atolls theme CRCP Project Numeric Data Sets > Biology theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Species Richness EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Photic Zone Corals EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Coral Colony Size and Condition EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Rapid assessment studies EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > BioDiversity EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus CORAL CORAL - CENSUS CORAL - COLONY SIZE CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS survey - biological survey - coral reef survey - swimmer/diver theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS HI'IALAKAI OSCAR ELTON SETTE theme NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) Pacific Reef and Assessment Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP) theme NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS NW Pacific theme NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Coral Reef Ecosystem Division theme NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Agrihan Island > Agrihan Island (18N145E0002) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Aguihan > Aguihan Island (Aguijan) (14N145E0006) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Alamagan Island > Alamagan Island (17N145E0002) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Anatahan > Anatahan Island (16N145E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Asuncion Island > Asuncion Island (19N145E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Farallon de Pajaros > Farallon de Pajaros (20N144E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Guguan > Guguan Island (17N145E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Maug > Maug Island (20N145E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands > Arakane Reef (15N141E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands ( CNMI ) (18N146E0000) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Northern Mariana Islands > Pathfinder Reef (16N141E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Pagan > Pagan Island (18N145E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Rota > Rota Island ( Luta ) (14N145E0007) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Saipan > Saipan Island (15N145E0002) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Sarigan Island > Sarigan Island (16N145E0003) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Northern Mariana Islands > Tinian > Tinian Island (14N145E0005) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Santa Rosa Bank (12N144E0051) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Agrihan Island > Agrihan Island (18N145E0002) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Aguihan Island Reefs > Aguihan Island (Aguijan) (14N145E0006) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Alamagan Island > Alamagan Island (17N145E0002) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Anatahan Island > Anatahan Island (16N145E0001) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Arakane Reef > Arakane Reef (15N141E0001) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Asuncion Island > Asuncion Island (19N145E0001) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Farallon de Pajaros > Farallon de Pajaros (20N144E0001) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Santa Rosa Bank (12N144E0051) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guguan Island > Guguan Island (17N145E0001) 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 > Pathfinder Reef > Pathfinder Reef (16N141E0001) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Rota Island > Rota Island ( Luta ) (14N145E0007) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Saipan Island > Saipan Island (15N145E0002) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Sarigan Island > Sarigan Island (16N145E0003) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Tinian Island Reefs > Tinian Island (14N145E0005) place CoRIS Place Thesaurus CRED CREP Coral Reef Ecosystem Coral Reef Ecosystem Division Coral Reef Ecosystem Program MARAMP Marianas Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program Marine Ecosystem PIFSC Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center RAMP REA Rapid Ecological Assessment Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program theme Biennial temporal Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Mariana Archipelago Mariana Islands Marianas place DOC/NOAA/NMFS/PIFSC > Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce dataCentre Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords 2017-04-24 publication 8.5 Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords GCMD Keyword Forum Page Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords information custodian Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Rapid Ecological Assessment Quadrat Surveys of Corals around the Marianas Islands from 2003 to 2007 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/24527. NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose. otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None otherRestrictions Use Constraints: Please cite NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) when using the data. Example Cite as: Vargas-Ángel, Bernardo; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2015). Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program: Rapid Ecological Assessment Quadrat Surveys of Corals around the Marianas Islands from 2003 to 2007 (NCEI Accession 0129066). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Unpublished Dataset. [access date] otherRestrictions Distribution Liability: While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. unclassified Not applicable Not applicable NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 24527 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/24527.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. information crossReference eng; US biota Oracle database view: V0_CORAL_OBS_QUAD. 142.8 145.9 12.8 20.6 The Mariana Archipelago, including the following list of islands, banks, and reefs: Agrihan, Aguijan, Alamagan, Anatahan, Arakane Reef, Asuncion, Farallon de Pajaros (Uracas), Guam, Guguan, Maug, Pagan, Pathfinder Reef, Rota, Saipan, Santa Rosa Bank, Sarigan, and Tinian. MARAMP 2007 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2007-05-25 2007-06-08 MARAMP 2003 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2003-08-22 2003-09-28 MARAMP 2005 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2005-09-04 2005-09-30 The Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) survey protocol described herein (quadrat method: CNMI in 2003/2005/2007, and Guam 2003) differs substantially from the REA survey protocol (belt-transect method) used on other NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP)-sponsored cruises in other U.S. Pacific locations by CREP since 2002. See 'Chapter 2: Methods & Operational Background' of the "Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Report of the Mariana Archipelago: 2003-2007", or "Appendix B. Corals", pg 11 in the Oscar Elton Sette cruise report, 05-12, for further details. https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/library/pubs/cruise/Sette/CR0512-1.RES.pdf. false eng false Data View View: V0_CORAL_OBS_QUAD 2017-03-30 publication CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) Uncompressed PDF - Adobe Portable Document Format NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/contact WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NCEI Contact Information Information for contacts at NCEI. information distributor https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0129066 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link v0_coral_obs_quad.csv The "Pacific RAMP Quadrat Surveys of Corals" data package archived at the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive includes observations from quadrat surveys of corals by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program conducted at various islands in the Mariana Archipelago between 2003 and 2007, and the documentation describing the field methodologies. NOAA NCEI Accession #0129066. download https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0129066 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ch02_methods_and_operational_background.pdf 'Chapter 2: Methods & Operational Background' of the "Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring Report of the Mariana Archipelago: 2003-2007": Brainard RE, Asher J, Blyth-Skyrme V, Coccagna EF, Dennis K, Donovan MK, Gove JM, Kenyon J, Looney EE, Miller JE, Timmers MA, Vargas-Ángel B, Vroom PS, Vetter O, Zgliczynski B, Acoba T, DesRochers A, Dunlap MJ, Franklin EC, Fisher-Pool PI, Braun CL, Richards BL, Schopmeyer SA, Schroeder RE, Toperoff A, Weijerman M, Williams I, Withall RD (2012) Coral reef ecosystem monitoring report of the Mariana Archipelago: 2003– 2007. NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, PIFSC Special Publication, SP-12-01, 1019 p. download dataset Representativeness The survey sites were selected to be representative of the dominant habitats at this reef system. Transects may not be representative of a site. Accuracy Observations were made by divers who are experts in coral biology. The coral colony survey was conducted one time per site per survey year; it was not replicated. Comparability The non-random nature of site selection places limits on the degree to which biotic metrics can be extrapolated through statistical inference to the larger population around an island or bank. Because transects were not placed at the exact same location at a Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) site each year and transects may not be representative of a site, interannual site comparisons need to be approached with caution. Variations in survey results between MARAMP survey years can result from transect placement and the addition of REA sites in subsequent years. However, revisiting the same REA sites each cruise does provide a basis for quantifying temporal trends in condition, which is a priority of NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program's long-term monitoring efforts. Completeness Report Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) sites were selected in 2003 for MARAMP 2003 and, when possible, revisited during MARAMP 2005 and 2007; a few additional sites were added in 2005 and 2007. Randomization methods were not used for site selection in 2003. NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) chose REA sites in consultation with the resource management agencies of each jurisdiction. The following aims were considered during REA site selection: (1) a range of survey sites representative of the benthic and reef-fish habitats around each island or reef, (2) a mixture of sites within and outside of marine protected areas, (3) a mixture of sites likely to have been affected significantly by human activities and sites likely to have little human disturbance, (4) some sites adjacent to local villages, and (5) a number of sites that could be compared to and complement previous assessment and monitoring work done by local agencies. Additionally, it is important to note that wave exposure, weather conditions, and other environmental factors, such as currents, can limit access to REA sites and affect CREP's ability to survey sites again in subsequent MARAMP survey years. Octocorals were not included in this census, with the exception of the blue coral Heliopora coerulea. Conceptual Consistency The same methods of data collection were used at each of the sites surveyed as described in this dataset. The quadrat survey method was used to collect coral assemblage data as part of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) surveys. Generic richness, colony density, and size distribution of coral colonies can be calculated from the data. Along the length of a single 50-meter transect line at each site, a quadrat (0.5 × 0.5 meters) was haphazardly placed on hard-bottom substrate with corals for a combined total of either 15 (in 2003) or 16 (in 2005 and 2007) times per site (total survey area = 3.75 or 4 square meters per site). Each scleractinian or hydrozoan colony whose center lay inside a quadrat was identified to species (or genus, for small colonies in which species characteristics had not yet developed), and the maximum and perpendicular diameters were measured (colony length and width respectively). Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center 808-725-5360 pifsc.info@noaa.gov processor Brainard RE, Asher J, Blyth-Skyrme V, Coccagna EF, Dennis K, Donovan MK, Gove JM, Kenyon J, Looney EE, Miller JE, Timmers MA, Vargas-Ángel B, Vroom PS, Vetter O, Zgliczynski B, Acoba T, DesRochers A, Dunlap MJ, Franklin EC, Fisher-Pool PI, Braun CL, Richards BL, Schopmeyer SA, Schroeder RE, Toperoff A, Weijerman M, Williams I, Withall RD (2012) Coral reef ecosystem monitoring report of the Mariana Archipelago: 2003– 2007. NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, PIFSC Special Publication, SP-12-01, 1019 p. 2012-03-01 publication Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, PIFSC https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/coral_reef_ecosystem_monitoring_reports.php WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information otherRestrictions otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None | Use Constraints: None