Reef_Check_UPC_surveys

The Reef Check Foundation’s California program (RCCA), trains, tests and certifies experienced recreational scuba divers to collect scientifically robust survey data on rocky reef species. All of RCCA’s volunteers go through a rigorous four-day training and annual recertification program. RCCA’s monitoring program gathers economically and ecologically important data, and educates the public about scientific methods and environmental stewardship. Over the baseline monitoring period of 2011/2012, RCCA conducted 91 surveys at its long-term monitoring sites in the South Coast Study Region. Many of these sites have been surveyed since 2006 or 2007 in order to track marine life populations and in anticipation of the establishment of MPAs in this study region.
This metadata record documents the Uniform Point Contact (UPC) surveys that are part of RCCA’s South Coast MPA Baseline subtidal community surveys. Subtidal community structure surveys are conducted annually at sites during the summer or early fall, and quantify substrate type and relief, benthic cover, abundance of 73 species or species groups of macroalgae, invertebrates, and fishes. Spatial allocation of sampling is designed to measure year-to-year site-wide variability in species abundances and community structure. A site is defined as a fixed stretch of coastline, occupying approximately 250m. Each site is comprised of six core transects along which fish, invertebrate, algae and substrate are sampled and 12 additional fish transects. Transects are stratified across the two depth zones and fish transects are placed around the core transects. UPC transects are 30m long and data is collected at 30 points uniformly spaced along the transects. For a complete description of the Reef Check California sampling protocol see: http://reefcheck.org/rcca/monitoring_protocol.php.

礁石检查基金会（Reef Check Foundation）加州项目（RCCA）会培训、考核并认证经验丰富的休闲水肺潜水员，以采集岩礁物种的科学严谨的调查数据。所有RCCA志愿者均需通过严格的四天培训课程与年度复认证项目。RCCA的监测项目可收集兼具经济与生态重要性的数据，并向公众普及科学研究方法与环境管护知识。在2011/2012年的基线监测周期内，RCCA在南海岸研究区域的长期监测点位共开展了91次调查。其中多数点位自2006年或2007年起便持续开展调查，用于追踪海洋生物种群动态，并为该研究区域海洋保护区（Marine Protected Area，简称MPA）的设立筹备相关数据。

本元数据记录收录了RCCA南海岸海洋保护区基线潮下带群落调查所采用的统一点位接触（Uniform Point Contact，简称UPC）调查数据。潮下带群落结构调查于每年夏季或初秋在各监测点位开展，可量化基底类型与地形起伏、底栖生物覆盖率，以及73类大型藻类、无脊椎动物与鱼类的物种或物种类群的丰度。采样的空间布设方案旨在衡量物种丰度与群落结构的年度站点尺度变异性。监测站点被定义为一段固定的海岸线区段，长度约为250米。每个站点包含6条核心样带，用于采集鱼类、无脊椎动物、藻类及基底特征数据，另设有12条额外鱼类样带。样带按两个深度区域进行分层布设，鱼类样带则环绕核心样带布置。UPC样带总长30米，沿样带均匀布设30个数据采集点位。如需完整了解礁石检查加州项目的采样方案，请访问：http://reefcheck.org/rcca/monitoring_protocol.php。