SOP #01: Before the Field Season. Version 3.01. Pacific Island Network Benthic Marine Community Monitoring Protocol. Unpublished National Park Service Report, Pacific Island Inventory and Monitoring Network, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii.
Brown EK, McKenna S, Kozar K. 2020. SOP #01: Before the Field Season. Version 3.01. Pacific Island Network Benthic Marine Community Monitoring Protocol. Unpublished National Park Service Report, Pacific Island Inventory and Monitoring Network, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii.
Prior to the field season each year, usually beginning in early spring, observers are required to review the entire benthic protocol, including all SOPs listed in the protocol. This SOP outlines the annual steps to prepare for a field season ensuring the availability of proper equipment prior to the start of monitoring. More detailed descriptions of specific monitoring tasks are given in the SOPs for training observers (SOP #2), outlining safety procedures (SOP #3), using the GPS (SOP #4), preparing for a dive (SOP #6), establishing the sampling plots (SOP #7), and conducting the surveys (SOPs #8,9,10). In addition, this SOP provides procedures for the initial construction of the rugosity chain and coral settlement arrays (CSAs) that, once assembled, should provide years of service with minimal maintenance.