Skip to main content
Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Benthic Surveys in Vatia, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys between 2015-11-02 and 2015-11-12 (NCEI Accession 0165016)

browse graphicPreview graphic
Jurisdictional managers have expressed concerns that nutrients from the village of Vatia, Tutuila, American Samoa, are having an adverse effect on the adjacent coral reef ecosystem. Excess nutrient loads promote increases in algal growth that can have deleterious effects on corals, such as benthic algae outcompeting and overgrowing corals. Nitrogen and phosphorus can also directly impact corals by lowering fertilization success, and reducing both photosynthesis and calcification rates. Land-based contributions of nutrients come from a variety of sources; in Vatia the most likely sources are poor wastewater management from piggeries and septic systems.

NOAA scientists conducted benthic surveys to establish a baseline against which to compare changes in the algal and coral assemblages in response to nutrient fluxes.

The data described here were collected via belt transect surveys of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP) according to protocols established by the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). In 2015 data were collected at 18 stratified randomly selected sites in Vatia Bay. These data include:

1) an assessment of coral colony density and size-class distribution for the selected monitoring sites;

2) an assessment of coral recruitment at the monitoring sites; and

3) an evaluation of coral colony condition, including mortality, disease, bleaching, and evidence of sediment stress.

These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. Additionally, photoquadrat benthic images were collected and analyzed for benthic cover composition (documented and archived separately).

A brief report documenting the 2015 surveys conducted in Vatia and Fagaʻalu in Tutuila, American Samoa by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program is in progress: Baseline Assessment of Coral Reef Community Structure and Demographics in Vatia and Fagaʻalu Bays, American Samoa.
  • Cite as: Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Benthic Surveys in Vatia, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys between 2015-11-02 and 2015-11-12 (NCEI Accession 0165016). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0165016. Accessed [date].
gov.noaa.nodc:0165016
Download Data
  • HTTPS (download)
    Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.
  • FTP (download)
    These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).
Distribution Formats
  • Originator data format
Ordering Instructions Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
NCEI.Info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 2015-11-02 to 2015-11-12
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: -170.674
East: -170.667
South: -14.2501
North: -14.2432
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
  • Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, 2017: Benthic Surveys in Vatia, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys in 2015 and 2020, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/30771.
  • Land-based pollution impacting coral reefs in Vatia Bay
  • Vargas-Ángel, Bernardo; Huntington, Brittany. Status and Trends Assessment of Benthic Coral Reef Communities in Vatia Bay, American Samoa, 2015–2020. PIFSC data report; DR-20-020. 2020. https://doi.org/10.25923/r7dd-wg50
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2017-09-08
  • revision: 2017-10-21
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Supplemental Information
Submission Package ID: B49ATG
Purpose These data were generated from benthic surveys undertaken in Vatia Bay to establish a comprehensive baseline for benthic composition and coral demographics, and are part of a broader NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) funded project led by NCCOS to assess eutrophication impacts on coral ecosystem health in the bay. These efforts feed into the higher-level CRCP objectives by establishing an in-situ tracking system to assess the effects of management and mitigation strategies and activities in the target watersheds to reduce land-based sources of pollution.
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Benthic Surveys in Vatia, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys between 2015-11-02 and 2015-11-12 (NCEI Accession 0165016). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0165016. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors
Principal Investigators
Collaborators
Contributors
Resource Providers
Publishers
Acknowledgments
  • Related Funding Agency: NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
CoRIS Discovery Thesaurus
  • Numeric Data Sets > Biology
CoRIS Theme Thesaurus
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Diseases
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Coral Mortality
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Damage Assessment > Pollution
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Baseline studies
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Benthos Analysis > Transect Monitoring > Belt Transect
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Biosphere > Zoology > Corals > Reef Monitoring and Assessment > Coral Colony Size and Condition
  • 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 > Coastal Processes > Coral Reefs > Coral Reef Ecology > Benthic biology
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral
  • EARTH SCIENCE > Oceans > Marine Biology > Coral Communities
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Contributing Data Centers
  • CRED
  • CREP
  • Coral Reef Ecosystem Division
  • Coral Reef Ecosystem Program
  • PIFSC
  • Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS CoRIS Place Thesaurus
  • COUNTRY/TERRITORY > United States of America > American Samoa > Tutuila Island > Vatia Bay (14S170W0028)
  • OCEAN BASIN > Pacific Ocean > Tutuila Island > Vatia Bay (14S170W0028)
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords Provider Place Names
  • Vatia
Project keywords NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS CRCP Project
  • 31090
  • Eutrophication Impacts on Coral Ecosystem Health in Vatia, American Samoa
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Coral Reef Ecosystem Program; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Benthic Surveys in Vatia, American Samoa: comprehensive assessment of coral demography (adult and juvenile corals) from belt transect surveys between 2015-11-02 and 2015-11-12 (NCEI Accession 0165016). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0165016. Accessed [date].
Access Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2017-09-08T22:35:15Z - NCEI Accession 0165016 v1.1 was published.
  • 2017-10-21T00:38:06Z - NCEI Accession 0165016 was revised and v2.2 was published.
    Rationale: Updates were received for this dataset. These updates were copied into the data/0-data/ directory of this accession. These updates may provide additional files or replace obsolete files. This version contains the most complete and up-to-date representation of this archival information package. All of the files received prior to this update are available in the preceding version of this accession.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • Data Type: CORAL (measured); Units: unitless; Observation Type: in situ; Sampling Instrument: swimmer/diver.
  • Data Type: CORAL - CENSUS (measured); Units: count; Observation Type: in situ; Sampling Instrument: swimmer/diver.
  • Data Type: CORAL - COLONY SIZE (measured); Units: cm; Observation Type: in situ; Sampling Instrument: swimmer/diver.
  • Data Type: CORAL - SPECIES IDENTIFICATION (measured); Units: unitless; Observation Type: in situ; Sampling Instrument: swimmer/diver.
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • swimmer/diver
  • visual observation
Last Modified: 2024-02-21T13:40:57Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov