AIMS Long-term Monitoring Program

The AIMS Long-term Monitoring Program (LTMP) is designed to detect changes in reef communities at a subregional scale. In this context, a subregion encompasses inshore, mid-shelf and outer shelf reefs across the continental shelf within one band of latitude (a sector).Reef surveys involve three approaches:1. broadscale manta tow surveys of crown-of-thorns starfish populations and reef-wide coral cover2. Intensive photographic surveys of stationary seafloor (benthic) organisms on fixed transects3. intensive visual counts of reef fish, juvenile corals, crown-of-thorns starfish, coral-eating snails and coral disease and bleaching.

AIMS长期监测计划（Long-term Monitoring Program，LTMP）旨在从亚区域尺度监测珊瑚礁群落的动态变化。在此背景下，亚区域指代单个纬度带内（即一个扇形区域）横跨大陆架的近岸、陆架中部与外陆架珊瑚礁。珊瑚礁调查共包含三类方法：
1. 针对棘冠海星（crown-of-thorns starfish）种群与全礁珊瑚覆盖度的大范围曼塔拖曳调查
2. 固定样带上静止海底底栖（benthic）生物的集约式摄影调查
3. 礁区鱼类、幼年珊瑚、棘冠海星、食珊瑚螺以及珊瑚病害与白化现象的集约式目视计数。