gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:32587 eng UTF8 dataset JPG 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 2026-03-04T19:17:25 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) Benthic Images from Towed-Diver Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to Assess the Mass Coral Bleaching Event in November 2015 Bleaching: 2015 Towed-Diver Benthic Images 2016 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 32587 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/32587 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Full Metadata Record View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. information NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (301) 713-3155 1305 East West Highway 10th Floor Silver Spring MD 20910-3281 https://coralreef.noaa.gov WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Website Link to the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program website information originator 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/towboard.php WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Online Resource download imageDigital A team from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) deployed on a two-week research cruise in November 2015 to evaluate the impacts of the 2015 mass coral bleaching event in the Main Hawaiian Islands via towed-diver surveys. Areas surveyed included south Oahu, west Maui, Lana’i, and west Hawaii island. Over the course of 10 survey days, the team surveyed approximately 90 km of 15-m wide transects at depths ranging from 2 to 10 m. Data provided in this dataset include benthic images that were collected during the towed-diver surveys from a camera that was mounted to the towboard. A downward-facing DSLR camera with strobes collected these photographic quadrat data by capturing an image of the benthos at 15-second intervals during the surveys. Two additional datasets were collected during the surveys and are documented separately. Towed divers recorded visual estimates of percentage of live coral that was pale and bleached, as well as presence/absence data of condition by generic composition. Oceanographic data was collected continuously throughout each survey with a suite of sensors mounted to the towboard recording conductivity, temperature, depth, flourometry (chlorophyll-a), turbidity and dissolved oxygen. The benthic images can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. The 2014–2015 global coral bleaching event brought widespread and severe impacts to the entire Hawaiian archipelago. In 2015, the corals of the Main Hawaiian Islands were subjected to unprecedented levels of thermal stress that resulted in the most severe coral bleaching ever recorded in the islands. To report on the event, local researchers and reef managers conducted free-swimming diver surveys in areas generally accessible via same-day field excursions. In an effort to survey larger high coral cover areas that are difficult for local researchers and managers to access via day-long field trips, a team from CREP deployed on a two-week research cruise in November 2015 aboard the NOAA ship Hi‘ialaka‘i to evaluate the impacts of the 2015 coral bleaching event in the Main Hawaiian Islands via towed-diver surveys. PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program and funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program completed Oliver, Thomas (808)725-5444 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA thomas.oliver@noaa.gov Email preferred pointOfContact Pomeroy, Noah (808)725-5439 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA noah.pomeroy@noaa.gov Email preferred custodian Oliver, Thomas (808)725-5444 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA thomas.oliver@noaa.gov custodian notPlanned 31075 Observing and Documenting Predicted 2015/2016 Mass Coral Bleaching Events in Hawaii theme CRCP Project Visual Images > Habitats theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Bleaching > Bleaching Resistance EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Diseases > Bleaching EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Diseases > Bleaching > Bleaching Thermal Stress EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Photic Zone Corals EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Habitats EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus PHOTOQUADRAT IMAGES theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS imagery tows theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS HI'IALAKAI theme NODC PLATFORM NAMES THESAURUS CORAL REEF STUDIES Coral Reef Conservation Program theme NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS US DOC; NOAA; NMFS; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; Ecosystem Sciences Division; Coral Reef Ecosystem Program theme NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Hawaii > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Honolulu > Oahu (21N157W0003) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Lanai Island (20N156W0002) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaii > Maui > Maui Island (20N156W0004) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands (21N157W0027) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii > Hawaii (21N160W0000) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Hawaii Island > Hawaii Island (19N155W0003) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Lanai Island > Lanai Island (20N156W0002) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Maui Island > Maui Island (20N156W0004) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Central Pacific Ocean > Hawaiian Islands > Oahu Island > Oahu (21N157W0003) place CoRIS Place Thesaurus North Pacific Ocean place NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS CRED CREP Coral Reef Ecosystem Division Coral Reef Ecosystem Program PIFSC Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center TDS Towed-diver surveys towboard towed diver theme MHI Main Hawaiian Islands 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 Ocean and Climate Change project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Benthic Images from Towed-Diver Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to Assess the Mass Coral Bleaching Event in November 2015 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/32587. 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. Suggested citation: Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2016). Benthic Images from Towed-Diver Surveys in the Main Hawaiian Islands to Assess the Mass Coral Bleaching Event in November 2015. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/32587 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 Oceanographic data, including conductivity, temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence, and turbidity, collected during towed-diver surveys conducted from November 3-18, 2015 in the Main Hawaiian Islands to assess damage from the 2015 mass coral bleaching event NOAA/NMFS/EDM 32586 crossReference Towed-Diver Observations in the Main Hawaiian Islands to Assess the Mass Coral Bleaching Event in November 2015 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 32588 crossReference NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 32587 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/32587.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 The latitude and longitude coordinates of the survey track are recorded using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver on-board the tow boat. The survey track is georeferenced and a layback model is applied (python script in ESRI ArcGIS for Desktop) that more accurately maps the positions of the recorded observations. Main Hawaiian Islands -157.94722922 -155.82934199 19.74853696 21.30306893 Extent of underwater surveys in Main Hawaiian Islands in November 2015. Time frame of surveys conducted in Main Hawaiian Islands. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2015-11-03 2015-11-18 As of September 2016, CREP is collaborating with academic researchers at Bangor University to analyze this photo-quadrat collection. CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) JPEG 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/0157611 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link HA1602 Tow Information.csv List of tows documenting the mid-point of each tow along which the photographs were collected download https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157611 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157611 Photo-quadrats from towed-diver surveys of benthic habitat by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) conducted around the Main Hawaiian Islands (HA1602) in 2015. download dataset Representativeness This survey effort specifically targeted areas of known high coral coverage to evaluate bleaching impact. Although efforts are made to include broad spatial coverage of high coral cover areas at each island, poor weather and sea conditions prevented the team from surveying various reef areas. On rare occasions, battery failure and accidental alteration of optimal exposure settings resulted in partial loss of benthic images for some survey segments. Accuracy Images captured from the towboard-mounted DSLR camera may not contain a clear depiction of the benthos due to a number of confounding factors, including the angle of the camera lens in relation to the benthos, the distance between the camera lens and the benthos, water turbidity and occasional malfunction of the synchronized strobes. Completeness Report Images were taken on all towboard surveys. Conceptual Consistency Benthic photoquadrat images captured during towboard surveys serve as consistent and objective visual documentation of the benthos during the surveys. Benthic photographs were collected during towed-diver surveys of corals by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) following the same protocol to that established by the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). A pair of scuba divers is towed about 1 m above the reef roughly 30 m behind a small boat at a constant speed of about 1.5 kt. Both divers collect visual observations of the benthos. Towboards are connected to the small boat by a bridle and towline. A tow survey is typically 50 minutes and covers about 2 km of habitat. Each survey is divided into 5-minute segments, with data recorded separately per segment to allow for georeferencing of observations within the ~200 m covered during each segment. Throughout a survey, the latitude and longitude of the survey track is recorded at 5-second intervals on the small boat with a global positioning system (GPS). Following a survey, diver tracks are generated using this GPS data and a layback algorithm to account for position of the diver relative to the small boat. One towboard features a forward facing camera that takes video and a downward facing camera records benthic photo-quadrats every 15 seconds, using a DSLR camera and strobes to even lighting conditions. These quadrats provide an archival record of the event, and will allow researchers to more thoroughly document observed patterns. Analysis of the benthic photo-quadrats is planned through a collaboration with academic researchers at Bangor University. otherRestrictions otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None | Use Constraints: None