gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:45818 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 Luers, Lori H 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA lori.luers@noaa.gov pointOfContact Olenski, Brooke brooke.olenski@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) Assessing cryptic reef diversity of colonizing marine invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) deployed at coral reef sites in Batangas, Philippines from 2012 to 2015 Philippines: ARMS 2017 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 45818 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/45818 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://origin-apps-pifsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/cred/coral_triangle_initiative.php WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Coral Triangle Initiative Information about the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program's activities in the Coral Triangle. download https://origin-apps-pifsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/cred/index.php WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link NOAA CRED Information on NOAA CRED's official website download https://pifscblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/verde-island-passage/ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Blog Post NOAA PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program blog post from the 2013 mission to the Philippines. download https://origin-apps-pifsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/cred/survey_methods/arms/overview.php WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ARMS Overview NOAA's Official page for ARMS download tableDigital Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) are used by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) to assess and monitor cryptic reef diversity across the Pacific. Developed in collaboration with the Census of Marine Life (CoML) Census of Coral Reef Ecosystems (CReefs), ARMS are designed to mimic the structural complexity of a reef and attract/collect colonizing marine invertebrates. The key innovation of the ARMS method is biodiversity is sampled over precisely the same surface area in the exact same manner. Thus, the use of ARMS is a systematic, consistent, and comparable method for monitoring the marine cryptobiota community over time. The data described here were collected by CREP from ARMS moored at fixed climate survey sites located on hard bottom shallow water (< 15 m) habitats in the Philippines. Climate sites were established by CREP to assess multiple features of the coral reef environment (in addition to the data described herein) from March 2012 to June 2015, and three ARMS units were deployed by SCUBA divers at each survey site. The data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. Each ARMS unit, constructed in-house by CREP, consisted of 23 cm x 23 cm gray, type 1 PVC plates stacked in alternating series of 4 open and 4 obstructed layers and attached to a base plate of 35 cm x 45 cm, which was affixed to the reef. Upon recovery, each ARMS unit was encapsulated, brought to the surface, and disassembled and processed. Disassembled plates were photographed to document recruited sessile organisms and scraped clean and preserved in 95% ethanol for DNA processing. Recruited motile organisms were sieved into 3 size fractions: 2 mm, 500 µm, and 100 µm. The 500 µm and 100 µm fractions were bulked and also preserved in 95% ethanol for DNA processing. The 2 mm fraction was sorted into morphospecies. Once the data for DNA processing is published, it will be accessible in a separate record that will be added in the "Related Items" section below. The Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) at NOAA Fisheries is conducting in-situ climate monitoring across the U.S. Pacific Islands Region. Climate monitoring provides a comprehensive view of climate change impacts on coral reef ecosystems and helps identify areas of resilience and vulnerability. The key indicators used to identify and monitor climate-driven trends include 1) thermal stress caused by changes in sea temperature, 2) ocean acidification resulting from changes in carbonate chemistry, and 3) ecological impacts by collecting data on coral growth rates and community structure to understand the impacts of thermal stress and ocean acidification on the ecosystem. This particular dataset for the Philippines is part of a 3-year project ("Climate, Biodiversity and Fisheries in the Coral Triangle: Embracing the E in Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management") implemented by CREP. This project was funded by NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Regional Development Mission Asia (RDMA) as part of the U.S. Coral Triangle Initiative, with additional support from the Coral Triangle Support Partnership and USAID Philippines. The goal of the project was to build on CREP's expertise to provide tools and information about climate change, ocean acidification, and their impacts on biodiversity and fisheries that could inform and be incorporated into an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) for the Philippines. CREP worked with local governments, communities, and NGOs to build science capacity by establishing robust observing capabilities and providing hands-on training to initiate collection of climate science information for the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines that can be used toward adaptive EAFM. PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program and funded by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and the United States Agency for International Development completed Oliver, Thomas (808)725-5444 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA thomas.oliver@noaa.gov Email preferred pointOfContact Timmers, Molly A (808)725-5449 1845 Wasp Blvd. Honolulu HI 96818 USA molly.timmers@noaa.gov Email preferred custodian notPlanned https://origin-apps-pifsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/cred/images/arms_deployed4_sm.jpg JPEG https://origin-apps-pifsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/cred/images/arms_install_sm.jpg JPEG 483 Climate, Biodiversity and Fisheries in the Coral Triangle: Embracing the E in Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management theme CRCP Project Numeric Data Sets > Biology theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Benthic Habitat EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Aquatic Habitat > Reef Habitat EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Baseline studies EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > In Situ Biological EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Brachyura EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Cryptobiota EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Biodiversity EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Census EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Marine Invertebrates > Macroinvertebrates theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus INVERTEBRATE SPECIES SPECIES IDENTIFICATION SPECIES IDENTIFICATION - COUNT theme NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS survey - biological visual estimate visual observation theme NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS CORAL REEF STUDIES Coral Reef Conservation Program Coral Triangle Initiative 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 > Philippines > Batangas > Arthur's Rock (13N120E0002) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Philippines > Batangas > Mabini (13N120E0032) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Philippines > Batangas > Tingloy (13N120E0009) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > Philippines > Batangas > Twin Rocks Sanctuary (13N120E0005) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > South China Sea > Balayan Bay > Arthur's Rock (13N120E0002) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > South China Sea > Balayan Bay > Mabini (13N120E0032) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > South China Sea > Balayan Bay > Twin Rocks Sanctuary (13N120E0005) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > South China Sea > Maricaban Island > Tingloy (13N120E0009) place CoRIS Place Thesaurus NW Pacific (limit-180) place NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS CRED CREP Coral Reef Ecosystem Division Coral Reef Ecosystem Program PIFSC Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center USAID United States Agency for International Development theme Arthur's Reef Batalang Bato Batong Buhay Koala Reserve Area Philippines Twin Rocks Verde Island Passage place ARMS Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures instrument 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 Baseline data from Climate Stations in Batangas, Philippines from 2012 to 2015 project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Assessing cryptic reef diversity of colonizing marine invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) deployed at coral reef sites in Batangas, Philippines from 2012 to 2015 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/45818. 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 (2017). Assessing cryptic reef diversity of colonizing marine invertebrates using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) deployed at coral reef sites in Batangas, Philippines from 2012 to 2015. NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/45818. 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 Benthic images collected at coral reef sites in Batangas, Philippines in 2012 and 2015 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 45820 crossReference Benthic percent cover derived from analysis of benthic images collected at coral reef sites in Batangas, Philippines in 2015 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 45819 crossReference Calcification Rates of Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA) Derived from Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites in Batangas, Philippines from 2012 to 2015 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 45816 crossReference Cryptobiota metabarcoding using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS) Deployed in Batangas, Philippines from 2012 to 2015 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 64332 crossReference Diel seawater carbonate chemistry observations from a suite of instrumentation deployed at coral reef sites in Batangas, Philippines from May 21-31, 2015 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 45954 crossReference Water Chemistry and Shallow Water Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) Profiles for select locations across Batangas, Philippines from 2012 to 2015 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 45817 crossReference NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 45818 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/45818.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 oceans Microsoft Access Mabini and Tingloy in Batangas, Philippines 120.871943 120.895127 13.658594 13.728054 Five survey locations in the municipalities of Mabini and Tingloy in Batangas, Philippines (near the Verde Island Passage), including Batong Buhay, Koala Reserve Area, Arthur's Reef, Twin Rocks, and Batalang Bato. Time frame of the dataset from when the units were first deployed in 2012 to when they were last recovered in 2015. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2012-03-12 2015-05-31 The NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) traveled to the Verde Island Passage region of the Philippines in 2012 to deploy moored oceanographic (subsurface temperature recorders [STRs]) and ecological (calcification accretion units [CAUs] and autonomous reef monitoring structures [ARMS]) instrumentation, to collect surface and bottom water samples, and to conduct benthic photo-quadrat surveys, which included the collection of benthic images; in 2013 to collect additional water samples; and again in 2015 to recover the instrumentation and to collect another round of water samples and benthic images. All activities were conducted by SCUBA divers at five locations in the municipalities of Mabini and Tingloy, including Batong Buhay, Koala Reserve Area, Arthur's Reef, Twin Rocks, and Batalang Bato. At each of the five locations, a shallow and deep survey site was established for a total of 10 survey sites. false eng false Data File ARMS Specimens 2017-06-09 publication CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) 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/0162829 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link ARMS_Specimens_Philippines_2015.csv ARMS specimens recovered by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) from the Philippines in 2015. download https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0162829 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0162829 Reference table for species recovered in the Philippines in 2015. download dataset Accuracy All species identifications are made visually by a trained analyst and subsequently reviewed by a taxonomic expert or through molecular processing for accuracy. Completeness Report All ARMS units that are recovered are disassembled, photographed, and sorted by size. Taxonomic classification occurs for materials greater than 2 mm. The research and development of the genetic analysis of ARMS samples is being done in collaboration with partners and data may exist for a subset of locations. ARMS that have been deployed may not have been recovered due to logistical constraints of the following mission or could not be found when divers returned to the site. Conceptual Consistency ARMS sample biodiversity over precisely the same surface area in the exact same manner. Thus, the use of ARMS is a systematic, consistent, and comparable method for monitoring the cryptobiota community overtime. Three units are deployed at each site to allow for replicate measurements. Divers typically record ARMS metadata into the master Microsoft Access database within a few days of the field operations and/or ARMS processing. QA/QC procedures are typically completed during the field mission. Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) are assembled, deployed on the benthos for 1-3 years during which time they are colonized with marine organisms, recovered and processed as described below. The > 2-mm organisms are identified and counted, and the data is recorded in an MS Access database. The smaller fractions are sent for genomic analysis, although those data are not included with this dataset. Once this data is published it will be accessible with it’s respective metadata record in the “Related Items” section below. ARMS Deployment - The ARMS platform consists of 23 cm x 23 cm grey, type 1 PVC plates stacked in alternating series of 4 open and 4 obstructed layers and attached to a base plate of 35 cm x 45 cm which is affixed to the reef. They are affixed to the sea floor with either four stainless steel stakes or weights and zip ties and are typically deployed on mid-depth (10-15 meters) forereef habitats in replicate sets of three. Each ARMS unit is typically separated by 2-5 meters. A GPS waypoint of the site is obtained by swimming over the site to get a point directly above the ARMS unit. The ARMS site and ARMS units are photo documented; pictures of the surrounding habitat as well as the deployed ARMS are captured. Close-up images of the dominant benthic cover around the ARMS units are captured. ARMS remain on the bottom for a set period of time during which they become colonized with marine organisms. The soak time varies by unit model. Please see the data to determine how long a particular unit was underwater. Reardon, Kerry G 808-725-5465 kerry.reardon@noaa.gov processor ARMS Recovery and Processing - Photo documentation occurs of the ARMS and recovery site before the ARMS units are removed off of the benthos. The ARMS unit is detached from the substrate, encapsulated, brought to the surface, and disassembled and processed onboard the research ship or in the field for shore-based/fly-in operations. Disassembled plates are photographed to document recruited sessile organisms. The plates are rinsed lightly in a container to remove sand particles thereby providing a cleaner surface for imaging the sessile organisms on the plates. Each plate is placed in a shallow tray containing seawater to be photographed. An initial photo of the plate is obtained along with a close up image of each quarter of the plate, the center, and of anything of interest. Photos are obtained of the top and bottom of each plate in the unit. Images are used for analyses of sessile recruitment and composition. When all of the plate layers in the ARMS unit have been photographed and set aside (in seawater), the seawater from the disassembly tub, photo tray, and rinse bucket is sieved through adjoining 2 mm and 500 um sieve pans and an attachable 100 um mesh hand net. Material collected in the 500 um sieve and 100 um net are bulk preserved into two separate jars. Jars are filled with EtOH and labeled accordingly. The preserved 500 and 100 um sample fractions undergo mass sequencing techniques. The > 2 mm size fraction can either be bulked preserved, like the 500 and 100 um fractions, with the understanding that they will be sorted at a later date or can be sorted at the time of processing into morphospecies. Sorting the > 2 mm size fraction is more efficient immediately after processing because the organisms are alive, intact, and colorful. Ethanol, as a preservative, fades away specimen coloration, can separate annelid segments and can detach crustacean limbs when bulk preserved. Immediate processing of the > 2 mm size fraction also provides you with the opportunity to photograph the specimens for vouchering. When photographing specimens, the first image has the unique specimen label in the image. Subsequent images may be taken without the label for finer details. When images and identifications are complete, the specimen(s) are preserved in ethanol. All plates from an individual ARMS unit are scrapped en masse. Once all plates have been scraped, all the scrapings are transferred into a blender (Brevill; BBL600XL). The scrapings are blended for 45-60 seconds on maximum power until sample is homogenized. The sample is then transferred from the blender to a 40 um net. The sample in the net is rinsed with filtered (< 40 um) seawater until all discharge from net is clear (takes ~2 gal). Four ~10 ml samples are preserved in 50 ml falcon tubes with DMSO or 95% EtOH, secure lid and shake. The remaining sample is stored in a sterile whirlpak at -20C. Between the processing of each ARMS unit the blender is rinsed in fresh water to remove any remaining homogenate. The blender is then placed in a 10% bleach solution for 15 minutes. Finally all parts thoroughly rinsed with DI water if available or fresh water. All recovered ARMS units are processed to the above step. When possible, ARMS samples are analyzed molecularly and taxonomically. The data resulting from genetic analysis of ARMS samples using 454 Illumina mass sequencing techniques through partnerships with the Smithsonian, San Diego State University, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, can be found through it’s respective metadata record in the “Related Items” section below. Timmers, Molly A (808)725-5449 molly.timmers@noaa.gov processor Source Contribution: Protocol Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) Overview Molly Timmers https://origin-apps-pifsc.fisheries.noaa.gov/cred/survey_methods.php#arms WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center website Source Citation URL information originator PIFSC Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) Survey Methods - Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, PIFSC https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/survey_methods.php#arms WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Source Citation URL Source Citation URL information otherRestrictions otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None | Use Constraints: None