CRED Rapid Ecological Assessment of Benthic Habitat Cover in the Pacific Ocean 2005-2010

Abstract written by OBIS-USA using excerpts from CRED homepage.

Benthic habitat mapping and characterization is a fundamental component of ecosystem-based coral reef management because it integrates a variety of information to define the extent, nature and health of these ecosystems. Without accurate maps resource managers cannot make informed decisions.

When the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center established the Coral Reef Ecosystems Division (CRED) in 2001, the Center initiated a program to extend habitat mapping in the U.S. Pacific Islands into deeper water that cannot be readily mapped using satellite and aerial techniques. Since that time NOAA Fisheries has led the effort to map these deeper reefs using ship-based acoustic mapping systems, coupled with video and still-camera observations. These sonar and optical data are combined with the IKONOS-based data products and oceanographic information to provide integrated products that describe the benthic habitats of the Pacific Islands.