Assessment of coral reefs in the central Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea using the line transect technique

The benthic cover on reefs from the central Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea was surveyed between 1984 and 1985, using the line transect technique. The reefs surveyed were 2 inner-shelf reefs (Pandora and Phillips), 5 mid-shelf reefs (Davies, John Brewer, Lodestone, Rib and Wheeler), and 3 outer-shelf reefs (Bowl, Dip and Myrmidon) from the Great Barrier Reef and 2 Coral Sea reefs (Flinders Cay and South Flinders Reef).The sites for location of transects were chosen as follows for each reef, where the reef structure allowed:Front reef slope: (5 sites) 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 m depth, using the reef crest as datumReef flat: (2 sites) front and back reef flatLagoon: (2 sites) usually 1 site on bommies and the other off bommiesBack reef slope: (3 sites) 0, 5, 10 m depth on talus slope using the reef crest as datum.Transect lengths varied between 50m and 100m to accommodate available diving times and the beginning of each transect was marked with a starpicket and a buoy to facilitate location during future surveys. Data collected were benthic lifeform and substrate attributes (from a list of 32 biotic and abiotic attributes) and percentage cover. This study was designed to describe the patterns of major components of the Great Barrier Reef over ecologically significant spatial and temporal scales.