Linking fish biomass and coral reefs structural complexity across the Mariana Archipelago

In 2022, the Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) led NCRMP across Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—hereafter referred to as the Mariana Archipelago—adding Structure-from-Motion (SfM) image collection protocols as part of its in-water data collection portfolio. The standardized image collection procedures along with a semiautomated SfM image processing pipeline allow deriving 3D models and scaled imagery of coral reefs from which it is possible to quantify multiple ecological metrics, including fine-detailed structural complexity.