Coral reef ecosystems, the most varied on earth, continually face destruction from anthropogenic and natural threats. The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force seeks to characterize and map priority coral reef ecosystems in the U.S./Trust Territories by 2009. Building upon NOAA Biogeography shallow-water classifications based on Ikonos imagery, presented here are new methods, based on acoustic data, for classifying benthic terrain below 30 m, around Tutuila, American Samoa. The result is a new classification scheme for American Samoa that extends and improves the NOAA Biogeography scheme, which, although developed for Pacific island nations and territories, is only applicable to a maximum depth of 30 m, due to the limitations of satellite imagery. The scheme may be suitable for developing habitat maps pinpointing high biodiversity around coral reefs throughout the western Pacific.
DATA/REPORT DETAILS
A Benthic Terrain Classification Scheme for American Samoa
- Published on:
- Science Area(s): Coral, Habitat Mapping, Marine Spatial Ecology
- Region(s) of Study: American Samoa, Pacific Ocean, U.S. States and Territories, Waterbodies
- Primary Contact(s): john.christensen@noaa.gov, tim.battista@noaa.gov
Citation:
Lundblad, E.R., D.J. Wright, J. Miller, E.M. Larkin, R. Rinehart, D.F. Naar, B.T. Donahue, S.M. Anderson, and T. Battista
Lundblad, E.R., D.J. Wright, J. Miller, E.M. Larkin, R. Rinehart, D.F. Naar, B.T. Donahue, S.M. Anderson, and T. Battista
Data/Report Type:
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Description
Note to readers with disabilities: Some scientific publications linked from this website may not conform to Section 508 accessibility standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing this electronic content, please contact the lead/corresponding author, Primary Contact, or nccos.webcontent@noaa.gov.