National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Methodological Case Study for 'Downscaling Ecological Trends from the Spatially Randomized Datasets' in the Main Hawaiian Islands, 2005-2...

The data described here result from the application of a down-scaling method to NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) benthic cover data, in an attempt by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) to make NCRMP data maximally useful to reef managers.

ESD scientists took benthic cover data from the Main Hawaiian Islands from 2005-2016 and applied a statistical technique based on contiguous clustering and mixed model analysis to discover an optimal reporting sector for NCRMP data (Oliver et al 2020). Specifically, clusters were identified based on NCRMP benthic cover data collected by ESD from 4 survey methods (towed diver, line point intercept, and photoquadrat surveys in which benthic images were analyzed either using CoralNet or CPCe) and then the optimal size and number of spatial sectors was assessed to generate reporting sector assignments that balanced minimal size against maximal ecological homogeneity and statistical power. These assignments are recorded in the dataset along with the source benthic cover observations, including live hard coral cover, soft coral cover, crustose coralline algae cover, macroalgal and turf algae cover, sediment cover, and all other categories are binned into "other".

To make these NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) data maximally useful to managers, we explore the application of contiguous clustering and mixed model analysis to reduce the size of statistically robust reporting sectors.

Oliver TA, Barkley H, Couch C, Kindinger T, Williams I. 2020. Downscaling ecological trends from the spatially randomized datasets of the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program. NOAA Tech Memo. NOAA-TM-NMFS-PIFSC-106, 59 p. doi:10.25923/2fef-8r42

The NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) details a long-term approach to provide an ecosystem perspective via monitoring climate, fish, benthic, and socioeconomic variables in a consistent and integrated manner. The NCRMP coordinates various Coral Reef Conservation Coral Reef Program (CRCP) biological, physical, and human dimensions activities into a cohesive NOAA-wide effort. Through the implementation of the NCRMP, NOAA is able to clearly and concisely communicate results of national-scale monitoring to national, state, and territorial policy makers, resource managers, and the public on a periodic basis.

NCRMP is a framework for conducting sustained observations of biological, climate, and socioeconomic indicators at 10 priority coral reefs areas across the U.S. and its territories. This integrated approach consolidates monitoring of coral reefs under a uniform method in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico for the first time. NCRMP is funded by the CRCP and supported by NOAA Fisheries, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), and many other partners. The Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) at NOAA Fisheries is leading biological monitoring in the U.S. Pacific Islands Region.

The biological component of NCRMP in the Pacific provides a triennial ecological characterization at a broad spatial scale of general reef condition for reef fishes, corals and benthic habitat (i.e., fish species composition/density/size, benthic cover, and coral density/size/condition). Innovative analysis techniques are then used to develop products that give fellow scientists, managers, decision makers and the public a better understanding of a region's resources and how they are changing over time.

Data file includes metadata for each survey (date and location); site characteristics (depth); method used to collect imagery (LPI, towed diver, photoquads analyed using CoralNet, and photoquads analyzed using CPCe), and benthic cover categories common across all 4 methods (coral, soft coral, CCA, macroalgae, sediment, and other). These data have been clustered according to the method in the associated tech memo, and cluster assignments of individual sites are included in the data table.

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.

Main Hawaiian Islands

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NOAA Ecosystem Science Division (ESD) Data Sharing Recommendations, version 9.0 updated August 12, 2015:

ESD welcomes the opportunity to collaborate on research issues contributing to the scientific basis for better management of marine ecosystems. ESD has a very diverse set of field activities that generates large volumes of data using an array of data collection protocols.

The following recommendations are for your consideration as you use this data:

1) Data analyses should take all field exigencies into account. The most effective way to do this would be active collaboration with ESD principal investigators.

2) In all presentations, product releases, or publications using data generated by ESD, proper acknowledgement of both ESD and the individuals responsible for data collection is expected. Citing the DOI (if available) is preferred, a non-DOI example is listed below.

3) If you collect or generate data for the same study areas, ESD requests that you share relevant information on complimentary data collections.

4) Those receiving data are strongly urged to inform the ESD Data Management Team of any errors and discrepancies that are discovered during the course of using these data. They are further urged to bring to the attention of the Team all problems and difficulties encountered in using these data. This information is necessary in order to improve the collections and to facilitate more efficient and economical data processing and retrieval. The users are asked to supply copies of any missing data that may be located, and to provide information as to significant subsets and special aggregations of data that are developed in using the material provided.

Example citation:

"This publication makes use of data products provided by the Ecosystem Science Division (ESD), Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). The analysis and interpretations presented here are solely that of the current authors.”

Data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

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Please cite NOAA Fisheries, Ecosystem Science Division (ESD) when using the data.

Example:

Ecosystem Science Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2020: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Methodological Case Study for 'Downscaling Ecological Trends from the Spatially Randomized Datasets' in the Main Hawaiian Islands, 2005-2016, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/59928.

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Data were compiled and analyzed using R version 3.6.1

For accuracy of each of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) methods, refer to the documentation for the source datasets (line-point intercept, benthic towed diver, and stratified random benthic cover from image analysis). Accuracy of the sector-level estimates depend on sample size within the sector, and detailed descriptions of model fit are included in the technical memo associated with this dataset.

All data presented here represent statistical reanalysis of existing NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) data. For detailed descriptions of Analytical Accuracy of those measures, refer to the documentation for the source datasets (line-point intercept, benthic towed diver, and stratified random benthic cover from image analysis).

The sectors presented here are defined by benthic cover data available for the main Hawaiian Islands from NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP; 2013-2015) and Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (RAMP; 2005-2012) surveys from 2005-2015. In analysis of trends, we also added the post-bleaching data from 2016.

This analysis was designed to as closely represent the conceptual vision given available data.

The NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) runs thorough quality control procedures described in the original survey records. Our analysis was reviewed by all co-authors, their respective Division chiefs, and NOAA Fisheries technical and editorial review by the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.

NOAA IRC and NOAA Fisheries ITS resources and assets.

In the NOAA Technical Memo Report associated with this dataset, we present a statistical technique based on contiguous clustering and mixed model analysis to downscale the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) and Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program benthic cover data and apply it to a case study in the main Hawaiian Islands.