gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:47781 eng UTF8 dataset Database 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 Drake, Diona draked@triton.uog.edu pointOfContact 2026-02-25T04:02:43 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata Part 2 Extensions for imagery and gridded data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Coral Colony Size and Condition Surveys since 2010 Guam LTMP Coral Colony Size and Condition Surveys since 2010 2014 publication NOAA/NMFS/EDM 47781 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47781 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 https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/guam_ltmp_spring2019_report_final-2.pdf WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link A report of the Comprehensive Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring at Permanent Sites on Guam Project End-of-grant report that includes detailed information about the monitoring program's background and survey methodology, as well as the results of an analysis of baseline data collected at the Fouha Bay, Achang, Tepungan (Piti) Bay and the modified Tumon Bay site, and an analysis of time series data collected at the Tumon Bay, East Agana Bay, and Tepungan (Piti) Bay sites. download https://guamcoralreefmonitoring.wordpress.com/ WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Citation URL Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program website download tableDigital The Government of Guam's Comprehensive Long-term Monitoring at Permanent Sites in Guam project, also known as the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program (GLTMP), is a NOAA-funded project currently coordinated through the University of Guam Marine Laboratory. The program involves the regular, intensive collection of data for a suite of coral reef ecosystem health parameters at high priority reef areas (HPRAs) around Guam, as well as critical support for coral bleaching response and other activities carried out by the multi-partner Guam Coral Reef Response Team. The program currently utilizes a split-panel sampling approach, whereby a mix of permanent and non-permanent sampling stations (one sampling station = one transect) are visited within each HPRA. The HPRAs were selected by an advisory body comprised of reef managers, researchers, and technicians; these reef areas were not intended to be representative of Guam's reefs more broadly. The locations of the sampling stations within each HPRA are generated randomly using GIS software. Various coral reef surveys are carried out on an annual basis along the seaward slope between 7 and 15 m depth in the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve and in East Agana Bay, while surveys are carried out biennially within the Piti Bomb Holes Marine Preserve, the Achang Reef Flat Marine Preserve, and the eastern side of the Cocos Barrier Reef (Cocos-East). Surveys were also carried at along reef margin (1-2 m) and slope (2-15 m) of Western Shoals, in Apra Harbor, in 2011. The surveys, which are currently conducted by University of Guam Marine Laboratory biologists, and which were supported by NOAA PIRO through 2019, currently include benthic photo transects, stationary point count fish surveys, macroinvertebrate belt transects, and chain-length rugosity surveys. The GLTMP has conducted surveys at the Tumon and East Agana HPRAs since 2010, the Piti HPRA since 2012, and the Achang and Cocos-East HPRAs began in 2014. Surveys for Fouha Bay HPRA began in 2015 with data collections also occurring in 2019 and 2021, but the site has not been re-visited due to shifting management priorities. Baseline data is available for the Western Shoals HPRA from 2011 but this site has not been re-visited. Corals are the main contributor to coral reef accretion, provide critical habitat for numerous reef organisms, and serve as a food source for some reef organisms. In recognition of the critical important of corals, coral colony size and condition surveys were carried out by the GLTMP at several HPRAs on a regular basis between 2010 and 2019. Nearly all of the coral quadrat surveys were carried out by a single observer. The size and condition are assessed for all coral colonies found within quadrats placed every 5 meters along 30-m transects (15-m transects for the Western Shoals HPRA, 25 m for other HPRAs prior to 2018). These monitoring data on coral communities provide results on coral colony density, size, condition, and diversity; allow for exploration of community structure by functional group and size; and can be used to detect changes in coral communities over time. The coral quadrat surveys were eliminated beginning in 2020 due to staff capacity limitations, but the nails marking the quadrat locations at some sampling stations have been been maintained opportunistically. IMPORTANT NOTE: The plate-and-pillar coral, Porites rus, was excluded from the coral quadrat survey during the 2019 and 2020 field seasons due to the considerable time required to properly assess the size and condition of this abundant species and the limited availability of the program coordinator to carry out the specialized survey. The stated goals of the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program (GLTMP) are to determine the status and trends of selected coral reef ecosystem indicators to inform resource managers' decision-making process, provide managers with early notice of abnormal conditions, provide data to better understand the dynamic nature of the island's coastal ecosystems, allow resource agencies to meet certain legal and Congressional mandates, and measure progress towards performance goals. Benthic cover data collected by the GLTMP at several High Priority Reef Areas around Guam provide documentation of the structure and condition of the benthic communities at these sites; data from multiple visits can be used in time series analyses to determine trends in key ecosystem parameters. Guam Coastal Management Program, NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office, and University of Guam Marine Lab. completed Drake, Diona draked@triton.uog.edu pointOfContact Drake, Diona draked@triton.uog.edu custodian asNeeded 488 Guam Coral Reef Monitoring Data Management Initiative theme CRCP Project Numeric Data Sets > Biology theme CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Species Richness 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 > Coral Colony Size and Condition > Quadrat Monitoring 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 > Marine Biology > Coral EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities theme CoRIS Theme Thesaurus Obsolete theme PARR Exclusion COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Achang (13N144E0064) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Cocos Barrier Reefs (13N144E0001) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > East Agana Bay (13N144E0063) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Fouha Bay (13N144E0024) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Piti Bay (13N144E0061) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Tumon Bay (13N144E0004) COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > Guam > Western Shoal (13N144E0062) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Achang (13N144E0064) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > East Agana Bay (13N144E0063) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Fouha Bay (13N144E0024) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Guam (13N144E0000) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Piti Bay (13N144E0061) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Tumon Bay (13N144E0004) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam > Western Shoal (13N144E0062) OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Western Pacific Ocean > Guam Reefs > Cocos Barrier Reefs (13N144E0001) place CoRIS Place Thesaurus Coral Coral Colony Condition Coral Colony Size Coral Colony Size and Condition Survey Coral Disease Coral Partial Mortality Coral Quadrat Survey Coral Reef Ecosystem Coral Species Richness Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Long-term Monitoring Program Marine Ecosystem Permanent Quadrat REA Rapid Ecological Assessments theme 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 Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program project InPort otherRestrictions Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Coral Colony Size and Condition Surveys since 2010 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47781. 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 the Guam Coastal Management Program when using data collected prior to October 2013. Guam Coastal Management Program, Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans, Government of Guam. Please cite the University of Guam Marine Laboratory when using data collected after (and including) October 2013. Example citation: For data collected from 2010 to 2012: Guam Coastal Management Program (2019). Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Coral Colony Size and Condition Surveys since 2010. NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47781. For data collected after 2012: University of Guam Marine Laboratory (2019). Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Coral Colony Size and Condition Surveys since 2010. NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/47781. 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, the University of Guam Marine Laboratory 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. The University of Guam Marine Laboratory makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. unclassified Not applicable Not applicable Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Benthic Cover Derived from Analysis of Benthic Images since 2010 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 47784 crossReference Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Benthic Images since 2010 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 47788 crossReference Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Macroinvertebrate Belt Transects since 2010 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 47782 crossReference Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program Reef Fish Surveys since 2010 NOAA/NMFS/EDM 47783 crossReference NOAA Data Management Plan (DMP) NOAA/NMFS/EDM 47781 https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/47781.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 Observations recorded on data sheets are entered into a data management website that populates a Microsoft SQL Server administered by the University of Guam. Tumon Bay 144.784502 144.795528 13.508506 13.512988 These bounding coordinates pertain to the original Tumon Bay site surveyed in 2010. The site boundaries were modified prior to the 2012 surveys; the coordinates of the modified site boundaries are presented in a separate Geographic Area above. 144.789408 144.798507 13.510711 13.517207 These bounding coordinates pertain to the Tumon Bay site boundaries modified after the 2010 survey effort and prior to the 2012 survey effort; these are the current boundaries for the Tumon Bay monitoring site. Time frame of coral colony and condition surveys carried out within the original Tumon Bay site as established in 2010. The boundaries of the Tumon Bay site changed after the 2010 surveys were carried out and prior to the 2012 surveys. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2010-08-04 2010-09-03 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2012 at the current Tumon Bay site, the boundaries of which were modified after the 2010 survey effort but before the 2012 survey effort. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2012-09-05 2012-11-19 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2014 at the current Tumon Bay site, the boundaries of which were modified after the 2010 survey effort but before the 2012 survey effort. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2014-09-03 2014-09-09 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2015 at the current Tumon Bay site, the boundaries of which were modified after the 2010 survey effort but before the 2012 survey effort. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2015-06-23 2015-07-01 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2017 at the current Tumon Bay site, the boundaries of which were modified after the 2010 survey effort but before the 2012 survey effort. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2017-04-10 2017-05-17 Time frame for (incomplete) coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2018 at the current Tumon Bay site, the boundaries of which were modified after the 2010 survey effort but before the 2012 survey effort. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2018-10-23 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2019 at the current Tumon Bay site, the boundaries of which were modified after the 2010 survey effort but before the 2012 survey effort. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2019-07-02 2019-08-23 East Agana Bay 144.758065 144.766983 13.483792 13.491396 These bounding coordinates pertain to the current boundaries for the East Agana Bay site, which has been monitored since 2010 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2010 at the current East Agana Bay site, the boundaries of which have been consistent since the site's establishment in 2010 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2010-09-07 2010-11-26 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2012 at the current East Agana Bay site, the boundaries of which have been consistent since the site's establishment in 2010 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2012-11-16 2012-11-28 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2014 at the current East Agana Bay site, the boundaries of which have been consistent since the site's establishment in 2010 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2014-09-10 2014-09-16 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2016 at the current East Agana Bay site, the boundaries of which have been consistent since the site's establishment in 2010 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2016-02-16 2016-04-05 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2017 at the current East Agana Bay site, the boundaries of which have been consistent since the site's establishment in 2010 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2017-07-12 2017-07-20 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2019 at the current East Agana Bay site, the boundaries of which have been consistent since the site's establishment in 2010 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2019-09-05 2019-09-06 Western Shoals 144.653292 144.656443 13.449599 13.454042 These bounding coordinates pertain to the Western Shoals monitoring site in Apra Harbor. The Western Shoals site has not been re-surveyed since 2011 due to a shift in management priorities. Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out at the Western Shoals site in 2011. Subsequent surveys have not been carried out at this site due to a shift in management priorities. | Currentness: Ground Condition 2011-07-11 2011-08-19 Piti (Tepungan) Bay 144.683913 144.697634 13.468317 13.47632 These bounding coordinates pertain to the Piti (Tepungan) Bay site, which has been surveyed since 2012. Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out within the Piti (Tepungan) Bay site in 2012 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2012-07-23 2012-08-31 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out within the Piti (Tepungan) Bay site in 2014 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2014-09-17 2014-11-13 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out within the Piti (Tepungan) Bay site in 2017 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2017-11-15 2017-12-15 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out within the Piti (Tepungan) Bay site in 2018 | Currentness: Ground Condition 2018-03-01 2018-03-09 Achang 144.69765 144.712233 13.239282 13.242611 These bounding coordinates pertain to the current Achang monitoring site boundaries, which were established in 2014. Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2014 at the Achang site | Currentness: Ground Condition 2014-10-22 2014-10-27 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2018 at the Achang site | Currentness: Ground Condition 2018-07-26 2018-08-09 Cocos-East 144.674888 144.685944 13.235939 13.23992 These bounding coordinates pertain to the current Cocos-East site, which was established in 2014 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2014 at the Cocos-East site | Currentness: Ground Condition 2014-10-27 2014-10-28 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2018 at the Cocos-East site | Currentness: Ground Condition 2018-08-24 Fouha Bay 144.653677 144.656082 13.303514 13.305903 These bounding coordinates pertain to the current Fouha Bay monitoring site, which was established in 2015 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2015 at the Fouha Bay site | Currentness: Ground Condition 2015-05-06 2015-10-27 Time frame for coral colony and condition surveys carried out in 2019 at the Fouha Bay site | Currentness: Ground Condition 2019-06-04 Coral colony size and condition data have been collected since 2010 (with the noted exceptions below) in: Tumon Bay in 2010 (10 permanent and 10 non-permanent stations), 2012 (12 permanent and 9 non-permanent stations), 2014 (12 permanent and 4 non-permanent stations), 2015 (12 permanent and 10 non-permanent stations), 2017 (12 permanent and 2 non-permanent stations), 2018 (4 permanent stations), 2019 (12 permanent stations). East Agana Bay in 2010 (10 permanent and 10 non-permanent stations), 2012 (10 permanent stations), 2014 (10 permanent stations), 2015 (10 permanent stations), 2017 (10 permanent and 12 non-permanent stations), and 2019 (9 permanent stations). Western Shoals in 2011 (11 permanent and 12 non-permanent stations) Piti Bay in 2012 (10 permanent and 10 non-permanent stations), 2014 (10 permanent and 2 non-permanent stations), and 2017/18 (8 permanent stations). Achang in 2014 (8 permanent and 3 non-permanent stations) and 2018 (9 permanent stations). Cocos-East in 2018 (3 permanent stations). Fouha Bay in 2015 (13 permanent stations) and 2019 (6 permanent stations). false eng false Data View Guam Long-term Monitoring Program: Coral Observations 2021-04-14 publication CSV - Comma Separated Values (Text) Drake, Diona draked@triton.uog.edu distributor https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/accession# WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link GLTMP_coral_2010-2019.csv coral observations from Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program monitoring sites between 2010 and 2019 download dataset Accuracy Observations at each site were made by divers who have been trained, and met minimum standards in identifying species present at the survey locations and in assessing colony size and condition. Most data collected through 2019 were collected solely by the Monitoring Program Coordinator, but data for some sites were collected wholly or in part by one other skilled observer. Bias The vast majority of all coral colony and size observations to-date have been made by the Program Coordinator, with a limited amount of data collected by another coral survey specialist. Inter-observer bias is minimized through consistent training and calibration procedures. Comparability Improvement over time in observers' general level of skill with the survey method, and an evolving understanding of the coral taxa at the monitoring sites, should be taken into account when comparing data across time; however, minor improvements in skill are not expected to have a significant impact on data quality. Comparisons of data across sites or across years must take into account differences in environmental and biological aspects of each site. Comparisons for a give site across time should consider any changes to the site boundaries over time. Please refer to the Extents section of this metadata record to see how the Tumon site boundaries shifted after 2010. Completeness Report Only hard-bottom habitats are surveyed. Surveys are conducted annually to biennially for the Tumon and East Agana sites, but are conducted on a less frequent basis at other sites. In addition, while all permanent sampling stations are generally surveyed each sampling period, surveys are not always conducted at the full set of non-permanent stations for each site during each sampling period. It should also be noted that while five (prior to 2017) or six (after 2017) quadrats were surveyed for the vast majority of all sampling stations within all sites for each sampling period, in some instances there may be fewer quadrats for a given sampling station. Below is a summary of the number of permanent and non-permanent sampling stations surveyed each year for each site: Tumon Bay: 2010 (10 perm, 10 non-perm); 2012 (12 perm, 9 non-perm); 2014 (12 perm, 4 non-perm); 2015 (12 perm, 10 non-perm); 2017 (12 perm, 2 non-perm); 2018 (4 perm, 0 non-perm); 2019 (12 perm, 0 non-perm) East Agana Bay: 2010 (10 perm, 10 non-perm); 2012 (10 perm, 0 non-perm); 2014 (10 perm, 0 non-perm); 2015 (10 perm, 0 non-perm); 2017 (10 perm, 0 non-perm); 2018 (no coral quadrat data collected); 2019 (9 perm, 0 non-perm) Western Shoals: 2011 (11 perm, 12 non-perm) Piti Bay: 2012 (10 perm, 10 non-perm); 2014 (10 perm, 2 non-perm); 2017-2018 (8 perm, 0 non-perm) Achang: 2014 (8 perm, 3 non-perm); 2018 (9 perm, 0 non-perm) Cocos-East: 2014 (no coral quadrat data collected); 2018 (3 perm, 0 non-perm) Fouha Bay: 2015 (13 perm); 2019 (6 perm) Data entry and quality control are complete for data collected through 2019. Conceptual Consistency The same methods of data collection were used at each of the stations surveyed, with the exception of surveys at the Western Shoals and Fouha Bay sites, for which larger (1 m x 0.75 m) quadrats were used along 15 m transects. Species-level identifications and coral health assessments likely became more accurate over time, but minor improvements in skill are not expected to have a significant impact on data quality. The Coral Colony Size and Condition (or Coral Quadrat) Survey methodology, employed by the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program since 2010 Coral colony size and condition surveys are carried out at all sampling stations when program capacity is sufficient to do so. All sampling stations have been selected in hard-bottom habitats using a stratified random sampling design, and the stations have been designed using the split-panel approach (combination of fixed and non-fixed transects). Drake, Diona draked@triton.uog.edu processor Each sampling station is located using a GPS receiver. Upon reaching a given station, a small weight and line tied to a buoy is carefully lowered to the ocean floor. In optimal situations where four divers are available, two divers enter the water first to carry out the fish surveys. Starting at the weight tied to the buoy, a 30 m transect is laid out [25 m-long transects were used prior to 2017]. The transect is laid out in a clockwise direction relative to the island, following the depth contour if it is readily determined; if the area is relatively flat and a depth contour is not readily discernible the transect is laid at an angle parallel to the reef margin (which is determined prior to entering the water). Compact digital point and shoot cameras and housings are used by individual observers to document unknown organisms, incidences of coral disease, and species/behaviors of special interest. For the initial establishment of fixed sampling stations, 24 inch rebar is installed at the beginning of the transect and 12 inch rebar is installed at the center and end of the transect; four-inch concrete nails are installed in at least two of the corners of each quadrat used for coral size and condition surveys. For the Western Shoals site, rebar and concrete nails were not used and instead a small PVC float was tied to dead coral with a line at the beginning of the transect and large zip ties were placed at the beginning, middle, and end of the transect. Two small zip ties were used to mark two corners of each permanent quadrat location. To minimize diver disruptions, the two divers conducting the benthic surveys enter the water after the fish team has finished enumerating fish. In situations where only three divers are available, all three divers enter the water at the same time and remain as a three-person buddy team to ensure diver safety throughout the survey. A fish diver partners with a benthic diver when two fish divers are not available. In this situation, the fish diver lays the transect and conducts the first SPC at 22.5 m while the benthic diver works from 0-15 m; they then switch positions along the transect so that the fish diver can carry out the second SPC. Drake, Diona draked@triton.uog.edu processor Shortly after a benthic team diver begins the photo transect on the left side of the transect, another diver then identifies and measures all coral colonies within a 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat (1 x 0.75 m quadrat for the Western Shoals and Fouha Bay sites) placed at 0 m, 5 m, 10 m, 15 m, 20 m and 25 m along the right side of the transect. In rare instances time limitations prevented data collected for all six quadrat positions, and when 25 m-long transects were used (prior to 2017) quadrats were usually not placed at the 25 m mark. For each quadrat location, the bottom-left corner of the quadrat is coincident with the appropriate meter mark (0 m, 5 m, etc.) along the transect. Only those colonies whose geometric center is within the quadrat are counted. Percent old dead, percent recent dead, and disease type and severity are recorded for each colony. The cause of tissue mortality is also noted if it can be determined with a reasonable degree of confidence. Measurements of the longest dimension and the width of the colony perpendicular to the longest dimension are made. An effort is made to carefully count all visible colonies, including recruits/juvenile corals. Care is taken to prevent the count of remnants of larger colonies as coral recruits/juvenile corals. Any tissue isolate suspected of being a remnant of a larger colony is noted as such, in order to prevent the calculation of erroneous coral colony density. At least two planar view photos are taken of each quadrat in order to maintain a photographic record of all quadrats. Photos are also taken of corals for which species identification is uncertain, of unidentified sources of mortality, or of species or conditions of particular interest. Drake, Diona draked@triton.uog.edu processor Raw data include individual colony records with the corresponding methodological information and physical data that reflect the description of the site. An individual colony record for all corals includes colony species/genus identification; maximum diameter (cm); perpendicular diameter (cm); percent old dead; percent recent dead; and condition type and severity; photo (y/n); collected (y/n); fragment (y/n), tissue remnant (y/n); and additional comments. The physical and methodological data for all records includes the following: site, station, station type, date (day, month, year), latitude (dd), longitude (dd), transect number, transect length, quadrat, quadrat size, depth (m), habitat. Drake, Diona draked@triton.uog.edu processor otherRestrictions otherRestrictions Access Constraints: None | Use Constraints: None