American Samoa Monitoring Inventory
The monitoring projects in the following inventory take place in or around the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Projects are conducted by either Sanctuary staff or by our partners. Summary information is presented for each.
For more information about the monitoring activities at National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, please click here, and review the Sanctuary Condition Report.
Contact the research coordinator at the Sanctuary for additional information.
Coral Reef Long-Term Monitoring
| Lead | Charles Birkeland (University of Guam Hawaii), Alison Green (The Nature Conservancy) |
| Objective | Provide status and trends of the sanctuary's coral, algae and fish resources. |
| Method | Video transects, repetitive photo stations, and coral growth stations surveyed with SCUBA. |
| Status | Duration | Frequency |
| Active | 1985 - present | Every three years |
| Links | http://fagatelebay.noaa.gov/html/research |
| Partners | University of Guam Hawaii, The Nature Conservancy |
| Keyword(s) | coral, benthic algae, reef fish |
Temperature, Water Quality and Habitat Health Monitoring
| Lead | American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) |
| Objective | Assess water quality of Fagatele Bay to maintain Environmental Protection Agency standards. |
| Method | Collect measurements for temperature, salinity, DO, pH, light penetration, turbidity, currents, nitrogen, phosphorus, and fecal coliform. |
| Status | Duration | Frequency |
| Active | 2002 - present | Continuous |
| Links | http://fagatelebay.noaa.gov/html/research.html |
| Partners | Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (Coral Reef Ecosystem Division) |
| Keyword(s) | water quality |
Research and Marine Mammal Monitoring
| Lead | David Mattila (Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary), Jooke Robbins (Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies) |
| Objective | Gather sightings, photos and skin samples of humpback whales that visit within and around the sanctuary to determine the Oceania stock these whales belong to, their abundance, and how they use the habitat. |
| Method | Vessel position, time and whale behavioral information are logged. Photos are taken to help identify individual animals as humpback flukes (tails) are distinctive for each individual. Skin samples are collected to provide additional information including the sex, population genetics, and what types of fat-soluble pollutants are in the animals' bodies. Recordings of the song are made opportunistically. |
| Status | Duration | Frequency |
| Inactive, pending funding | 2003 - present | Annual (2-3 weeks every winter) |
| Links | http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/ |
| http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/science/ | |
| Partners | American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, National Park of American Samoa, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies |
| Keyword(s) | cetaceans, abundance, habitat |