Coral data from belt transect surveys in Faga'alu, American Samoa from 2012-03-28 to 2012-03-30 and from 2012-08-12 to 2012-08-16 (NCEI Accession 0169729)

The data described here were collected in Faga'alu, American Samoa in March and August 2012 via belt transect surveys of corals by the NOAA Coral Reef Ecosystem Program (CREP). At a survey site, divers deployed two 25-m transects to gather information on the coral communities present there, including diversity and health status, and within each transect three 5-m segments were surveyed (beginning at 0m, 10m, and 20m). Within each segment, all coral colonies whose center fell within 0.5m of either side of the transect were identified to genus. Cases of disease and impaired health were also recorded and the type of affliction was documented.

These data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive. Additionally, coral demographic surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2015, photoquadrat benthic images were collected in 2012 and 2015, and the 2015 images were analyzed for benthic cover composition (all documented and archived separately).