Great Barrier Reef Marine Monitoring Program - Coral (MMP)

Monitoring has been carried out on inshore reefs since 2005.Benthic community monitoring program variables:Ongoing: percent cover of benthic organisms nominally to genus level resolution (hard corals, soft corals and macroalgae); densities of juvenile corals; prevalence of coral diseases;Ended (last sample): settlement of coral larvae to tiles(2012); numbers of genera; size distributions of coral colonies (2005); composition of benthic Foraminifera communities (2014, ongoing collection of samples in storage). Sediment sample variables: grain size fractions; nitrogen; organic, inorganic and total carbon (2014, grainsize samples in storage). Sediment samples 2015-2020 collected, in storage but no grainsize or chemical analysis undertaken.Geographic areas (note not all locations have all data in all years) relate to Natural Resource Management (NRM): Wet Tropics NRM, NQ Dry Tropics NRM, Mackay Whitsunday Isaac NRM, Fitzroy Basin NRM.Reef locations: Barren Island, Bedarra Island (started 2016), Daydream Island, Dent Island, Double Cone Island, Dunk Island, Fitzroy Island, Frankland Group, Geoffrey Bay, Havannah Island, High Island, Hook Island, Humpy & Halfway Island, King Reef (ended 2014), Lady Elliot Reef, Middle Island, Middle Reef (ended 2014), North Barnard Group, North Keppel Island, Orpheus Island, Pandora Reef, Peak Island (ended 2020), Pelican Island, Pelorus Island, Pine Island, Seaforth Island, Shute & Tancred Island, Snapper Island, Cape Tribulation fringing reefs (ended 2006).Data monitors the condition of coral community characteristics on inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. This dataset is associated with another dataset on inshore water quality under Reef Plan MMP (see separate metadata record)The objective of the biological monitoring of nearshore reefs is to document trends in the benthic reef communities on selected nearshore reefs. These changes may be due to acute disturbances such as cyclonic winds, bleaching and crown-of-thorns starfish as well as those related to land runoff (e.g. floods), which disrupt processes of recovery such as recruitment and growth.These data are collected in conjunction with another dataset: Inshore Water Quality as part of the Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program.In 2005 benthic cover was estimated from video frames then from 2006 on from digital photosSampling of coral size classes changed from 5 by 10m long transects at each site and depth and all coral sizes in 2005 and 2006 to only sizes 0-2cm, 2-5cm and 5-10cm in 5 by 20m long transects from 2007 to 2017, and then only 0-2cm and 2-5cm size classes from 2018 on.Sampling design: coral community attributes are monitored at both 2m and 5m depths below lowest astronomical tide at each of two sites on each reef. Within site and depth combinations are five 20m transects marked with steel pickets at the beginning and steel rod at the middle and each end. Markers are maintained through time. Compass directions are maintained for entire site.Frequency of sampling has varied over the duration of this program. All reefs were sampled in 2005 and 2006, from 2007 to 2014 a set of 14 core reefs, at which water-quality was also monitored, and Snapper Island, were surveyed annually with the remainder scheduled for sampling on a biennial cycle. Opportunistic sampling over this period infilled with unscheduled samples after some severe disturbance events. From 2015 to 2018 reefs were scheduled for biennial sampling with half of the reefs in each region sampled in alternate years, contingency sampling was included to resample unscheduled reefs in the event of a disturbance. In 2019 all reefs, other than Peak were sampled and the sample of all reefs scheduled from 2020.Benthic cover is estimated from digital photos taken at 50cm intervals along the upslope side of the marked transects. Incidence of coral mortality and disease are counted within 2m wide belts centred on the marked transects. Small size-class corals are counted within 34cm wide belts on the upslope side of the marked transects. Sediment samples are collected from deposits along the 5m deep transects using cut off 100ml syringe tubes to collect a 1cm deep sediment plugs.Sediment trap data and current data are available for a subset of reefs and limited duration.Temperature data-series from in-situ loggers are available from most reefs.Data are defined within the the Oracle REEF database, reefmon schema by P_CODE = "IN"

自2005年起，研究团队已对近岸珊瑚礁开展长期监测。
底栖群落监测项目变量分为持续监测与已终止项目两类：
1. 持续监测变量：底栖生物盖度（分辨率至少达到属级，涵盖硬珊瑚、软珊瑚与大型藻类）；幼珊瑚密度；珊瑚病害患病率。
2. 已终止监测项目（末次采样年份标注于后）：珊瑚幼虫在陶片上的定植（2012年）；珊瑚属数量统计（2005年）；珊瑚群落体型分布（2005年）；底栖有孔虫（benthic Foraminifera）群落组成（2014年，样本已采集并储存，暂未开展分析）。

沉积物样本监测变量包括：粒度分级；总氮、有机碳、无机碳与总碳含量（2014年的粒度样本已储存）。2015-2020年采集的沉积物样本目前处于储存状态，尚未开展粒度与化学分析。

监测涉及的地理区域按自然资源管理区（Natural Resource Management, NRM）划分，包括：湿热带自然资源管理区（Wet Tropics NRM）、北昆士兰干旱热带自然资源管理区（NQ Dry Tropics NRM）、麦凯-圣灵群岛-艾萨克自然资源管理区（Mackay Whitsunday Isaac NRM）以及菲茨罗伊盆地自然资源管理区（Fitzroy Basin NRM）。注：并非所有监测点位在所有年份均有完整数据集。

监测珊瑚礁点位包括：巴伦岛、贝达拉岛（2016年起启动监测）、白日梦岛、登特岛、双锥岛、邓克岛、菲茨罗伊岛、弗兰克兰群岛、杰弗里湾、哈瓦那岛、海伊岛、胡克岛、汉皮与半道岛、金礁（2014年终止监测）、埃利奥特夫人礁、中岛、中礁（2014年终止监测）、北巴纳德群岛、北凯珀尔岛、奥费斯岛、潘多拉礁、皮克岛（2020年终止监测）、鹈鹕岛、佩洛鲁斯岛、派恩岛、西福德岛、舒特与坦克里德岛、斯纳珀岛、特里比申角（Cape Tribulation）岸礁（2006年终止监测）。

本数据集旨在监测大堡礁（Great Barrier Reef）近岸珊瑚礁的珊瑚群落特征状况。该数据集与《Reef Plan MMP》下的近岸水质数据集相关联（详见独立元数据记录）。

近岸礁生物监测的目标是记录选定近岸礁的底栖礁群落变化趋势。这些变化可能由热带气旋、珊瑚白化、长棘海星（crown-of-thorns starfish）等突发性扰动，以及与陆地径流（如洪水）相关的扰动引发——此类扰动会破坏珊瑚的补充与生长等恢复过程。

本数据集与另一项“近岸水质”数据集联合采集，二者均属于礁救援海洋监测计划（Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program）。

2005年，底栖生物盖度通过视频帧估算；2006年起改为通过数码照片估算。珊瑚体型分级的采样方案经历多次调整：2005-2006年采用每个样点与深度层设置5条10m长样带，统计所有体型的珊瑚；2007-2017年改为5条20m长样带，仅统计0-2cm、2-5cm与5-10cm三个体型级的珊瑚；2018年起仅统计0-2cm与2-5cm两个体型级的珊瑚。

采样设计：在每座珊瑚礁的两个样点处，分别在最低天文潮位以下2m与5m水深处开展监测。每个样点与水深组合内设置5条20m长样带，样带起点用钢桩标记，中点与两端用钢杆标记，标记点长期保留。每个样点的罗盘方位保持固定。

监测频率在项目周期内有所调整：2005-2006年对所有珊瑚礁开展采样；2007-2014年，每年对14个核心珊瑚礁（同步开展水质监测）与斯纳珀岛进行调查，其余珊瑚礁按两年一次的周期采样；此期间若发生严重扰动事件，会通过机会性采样补充未计划的采样任务。2015-2018年，所有珊瑚礁按两年一次周期采样，每个区域的一半珊瑚礁在交替年份采样，同时设置应急采样方案，以便在发生扰动时对未计划采样的珊瑚礁进行补测。2019年对除皮克岛外的所有珊瑚礁开展采样，2020年起按计划完成全部珊瑚礁的采样。

底栖生物盖度通过沿标记样带上坡侧以50cm间隔拍摄的数码照片估算。珊瑚死亡与病害的发生情况在以标记样带为中心的2m宽样带内统计。小型体型级珊瑚在标记样带上坡侧的34cm宽样带内计数。沉积物样本通过截取100ml注射器管采集5m深样带沿线的沉积物，获取1cm厚的沉积物芯。

部分珊瑚礁拥有有限时长的沉积物捕集器数据与海流数据。多数珊瑚礁拥有原位记录仪获取的温度时间序列数据。

本数据集存储于Oracle REEF数据库的reefmon模式中，以P_CODE = "IN"作为标识。