Marine Science Faculty Publications
A Benthic Terrain Classification Scheme for American Samoa
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2006
Keywords
terrain analysis, bathymetry, benthic habitat, marine GIS, American Samoa, corals
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/01490410600738021
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems, the most varied on earth, continually face destruction from anthropogenic and natural threats. The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force seeks to characterize and map priority coral reef ecosystems in the U.S./Trust Territories by 2009. Building upon NOAA Biogeography shallow-water classifications based on Ikonos imagery, presented here are new methods, based on acoustic data, for classifying benthic terrain below 30 m, around Tutuila, American Samoa. The result is a new classification scheme for American Samoa that extends and improves the NOAA Biogeography scheme, which, although developed for Pacific island nations and territories, is only applicable to a maximum depth of 30 m, due to the limitations of satellite imagery. The scheme may be suitable for developing habitat maps pinpointing high biodiversity around coral reefs throughout the western Pacific.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Marine Geodesy, v. 29, issue 2, p. 89-111
Scholar Commons Citation
Lundblad, Emily R.; Wright, Dawn J.; Miller, Joyce; Larkin, Emily M.; Rinehart, Ronald; Naar, David F.; Donahue, Brian T.; Anderson, S. Miles; and Battista, Tim, "A Benthic Terrain Classification Scheme for American Samoa" (2006). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 2224.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/2224
