SOP #08: Conducting Marine Benthic Cover and Rugosity Surveys. Version 3.02. 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 Unpublished National Park Service Report, Pacific Island Inventory and Monitoring Network, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii.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, McCutcheon A, McKenna S. 2021. SOP #08: Conducting Marine Benthic Cover and Rugosity Surveys. Version 3.02. Pacific Island Network Benthic Marine Community Monitoring Protocol. Unpublished National Park Service Report, Pacific Island Inventory and Monitoring Network, Hawaii National Park, Hawaii.
This SOP explains how to conduct benthic photographic surveys to assess substrate composition (percent cover) of live corals, algae, and other benthic organisms or substrates. It also describes how to measure rugosity and acquire environmental metadata at each transect. The SOP assumes that a monitoring site has been previously established (see SOP #7 Selecting and Marking Subtidal Sampling Transect Locations). Therefore, the SOP will detail relocating the monitoring site, relaying the transect line, and photographing the benthic substrate using a digital camera in an underwater housing. This SOP is designed to be completed by two divers (see SOP #2 Training Observers).
- Type
- Standard Operating Procedure
- Authors
- Brown, Eric; McCutcheon, Amanda; McKenna, Sheila
- Date of Issue
- 2021-08-16
- Units
- KAHO , KALA , NPSA , PACN , WAPA
- Keywords
- Benthic Cover, Benthic Marine, Photographs, Photoquadrats, Rugosity