Santa Barbara Channel Marine BON Darwin Core Archive: Nearshore kelp forest integrated quad and swath cover, 1980-ongoing

The Santa Barbara Channel Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (SBCMBON) tracks
long-term patterns in species abundance and diversity. This dataset contains counts of
algae and invertebrates (both sessile and mobile) by integrating data from four
contributing projects working in the kelp forests of the Santa Barbara Channel, USA. The four contributing projects are two research projects: The Santa Barbara Coastal
LTER (SBC LTER) and the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans
(PISCO), the kelp forest monitoring program of the Santa Barbara Channel National Park,
and the San Nicolas Island monitoring program supported by USGS. Together, these projects
have recorded data for more than 200 species at approximately 100 sites on both the
mainland coast and on the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. Sampling began in 1982 and is
ongoing. Data were collected by human observation (divers using SCUBA) during regular
surveys. The data table documents the number of organisms and the area over which that number
was counted for calculation of areal abundance. Data were collected by human observation
(divers using SCUBA) during regular surveys. The algae and invertebrate counts record the
number of taxa found in each plot, including quad (small square plots such as 1 or 2 m2)
and swath (large linear plots such as 60 m2). See Method and protocol for information on
integration and data processing. MBON is funded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). This dataset is formatted as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A, occurrence core). This is
a derived data product and see provenance for the source data. For users who are interested in using all or part of this integrated datasets, please
contact data owners to discuss your research interests, data-related issues or any other
questions. A recommended citation for the data package is available from the download
page. In addition, any manuscript generated using this dataset is expected to be sent to
the data owners before publication so we can be sure the data is used in the proper
context and methods are reported accurately: Santa Barbara Coastal LTER (LTER): Dan Reed [e-mail] Robert Miller [e-mail] Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO): Jenn Caselle [e-mail] Kelp forest monitoring (KFM): David Kushner [e-mail] Joshua Sprague [e-mail] San Nicolas Island monitoring (SNI): Kevin Lafferty [e-mail] Mike Kenner [e-mail]