This project is a cooperative effort among the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment; the University of Hawaii; BAE Systems Spectral Solutions; and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to map the coral reef habitats of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by visual interpretation and manual delineation of IKONOS satellite imagery.A two tiered habitat classification system was tested and implemented in this work. It integrates geomorphologic reef structure and biological cover into a single scheme and subsets each into detail. It also includes thirteen zones. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 45.2 square kilometers of which 4.4 were unconsolidated sediment and 40.9 were coral reef and hard bottom. Of the coral reef and hard bottom class, 59.9% is colonized by greater than 10% coral cover.

This project is a cooperative effort among the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment; the University of Hawaii; BAE Systems Spectral Solutions; and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to map the coral reef habitats of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by visual interpretation and manual delineation of IKONOS satellite imagery. A two tiered habitat classification system was tested and implemented in this work. It integrates geomorphologic reef structure and biological cover into a single scheme and subsets each into detail. It also includes thirteen zones. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 45.2 square kilometers of which 4.4 were unconsolidated sediment and 40.9 were coral reef and hard bottom. Of the coral reef and hard bottom class, 59.9% is colonized by greater than 10% coral cover.

This project is a cooperative effort among the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment; the University of Hawaii; BAE Systems Spectral Solutions; and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to map the coral reef habitats of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by visual interpretation and manual delineation of IKONOS satellite imagery. A two tiered habitat classification system was tested and implemented in this work. It integrates geomorphologic reef structure and biological cover into a single scheme and subsets each into detail. It also includes thirteen zones. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 71.5 square kilometers of which 10.56 were unconsolidated sediment and 60.94 were coral reef and hard bottom. Of the coral reef and hard bottom class, 62.8% is colonized by greater than 10% coral cover.

This project is a cooperative effort among the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment; the University of Hawaii; BAE Systems Spectral Solutions; and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to map the coral reef habitats of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by visual interpretation and manual delineation of IKONOS satellite imagery. A two tiered habitat classification system was tested and implemented in this work. It integrates geomorphologic reef structure and biological cover into a single scheme and subsets each into detail. It also includes thirteen zones. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 149.2 square kilometers of which 37 were unconsolidated sediment and 112 were coral reef and hard bottom.

In 2004, shallow-water benthic habitats were mapped in Saipan Lagoon, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Since then, habitats in the lagoon have likely changed because of coral bleaching events and recent typhoons. Local resource managers requested an updated map to help better understand these habitat changes and to help inform their monitoring and management decisions. In response, we created an updated benthic habitat map for areas shallower than 30-meters inside the lagoon.

This project is a cooperative effort between the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, the University of Hawaii, BAE Systems Spectral Solutions and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to map the coral reef habitats of American Samoa, Guam and the Common Wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by visual interpretation and manual delineation of IKONOS satellite imagery. A two tiered habitat classification system was tested and implemented in this work. It integrates geomorphologic reef structure and biological cover into a single scheme and subsets each into detail. It also includes thirteen zones. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 45.2 square kilometers of which 4.4 were unconsolidated sediment and 40.9 were coral reef and hard bottom. Of the coral reef and hard bottom class, 59.9% is colonized by greater than 10% coral cover.

Overview Currently, the LTMMP has 52 long-term monitoring sites across Saipan, Tinian, and Rota that are surveyed on a rotating biennial basis. Three main habitat types are covered: Fore reef, reef flat (lagoon), and seagrass beds (lagoon). Most sites have been selected based on their association with management concerns (runoff, sewage outfalls, urban development, etc.) and/or management actions (watershed restorations efforts, marine protected areas, etc.) and include impacted sites and relatively non-impacted reference sites. In general, monitoring surveys are conducted using standard and proven ecological field survey methods. All surveys are conducted along 3-5, 50 m transect lines laid out along the depth contour (~9m depth) on the fore reef, or along consistent habitat in the lagoon (back reef and seagrass). While benthic cover analysis provides the foundation of the CNMI monitoring program, the current protocol uses several survey types per site to provide ecological depth beyond percent cover. Fore Reef Photos are taken every meter along each transect line using a 0.25m2 quadrat frame, for a total of 250 photos at each site. In the office, the computer program CPCe is used to place five random points on each photo and the biota or substrate type under each point is identified. Organisms are identified to the genus level. This analysis provides benthic percent cover and community diversity. Twelve, 3 minute, 5 m radius stationary point counts (SPC) are conducted at each site to evaluate fish assemblages. Each SPC is systematically positioned throughout the length of a site (250 m). The species and size (fork length) of all food fishes within the 5 meter radius are recorded. This provides relative diversity, abundances, species compositions, size class distribution, and biomass of the fish community. Sixteen 0.25m2 quadrats are haphazardly tossed along the length of the site and every coral colony within the quadrats is identified to the species level and measured. This method provides relative diversity, abundances, species composition, and size class of the coral community. Within these same quadrats, all algae species present are identified to the species level to provide a measure of algae community composition and species richness. Finally, non-coral macro-invertebrates including sea cucumbers, urchins, crown-of-thorns starfish, giant clams, among others, are identified and counted within 1 m of each side of the transect lines (i.e., 5, 2mx50m belt transects). This provides invertebrate abundances, species composition, and diversity. Saipan Lagoon Saipan Lagoon habitats that are monitored include Halodule uninervis beds, staghorn Acropora thickets, and mixed coral back reefs. At lagoon sites, benthic cover is quantified using a 0.25 m2 string quadrat with six intersections, placed every meter along the transect line. The biota or substrate under each intersection is recorded to the genus level, in situ. Additionally, 10, 1 m2 quads are haphazardly placed across the length of the site (250 m) and all seagrass, algae, coral, and macro-invertebrates are identified to the species level and recorded. This method captures the relative diversity, abundance, and species compositions of lagoon communities. Finally, non-coral macro-invertebrate abundances and diversity are quantified as described above for reef slope sites.