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filename: s2pt3_benthicCoverMajorBenthicCategories_49sites_1987_2023.csv
date: 2026-07-06 01:32:55.33161
description: aggregated benthic groups into three functional groups applied in past studies [@decadalscale_edmunds_2013; @edmunds2002; @aronson2000] and as applied in `csun_benthicDat` .

1.  Hard corals: Scleractinia and Millepora

2.  Macroalgae: fleshy and filamentous macroalgae at least 1cm tall (e.g., *Dictyota*, *Lobophora, Halimeda, Padina*)

3.  CTB: an amalgamated category combination of crustose coralline algae, algal microturfs, and bare space, utilized as the individual components were unable to be differentiated in some two-dimensional imagery.
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column names:
program year date site period replicate replicatetype benthicCategories perccover pres

column: program
description: Program
Data Type: character
Unique Values: (showing all 3 entries)
   TCRMP
   VINPS
   CSUN

column: year
description: survey year
Data Type: numeric
Mean: 2012.53368146214
Min: 1987
Max: 2023

column: date
description: Date the sample was taken
Data Type: Date
Date Range: 1987-06-01 to 2023-12-07

column: site
description: Survey Site
Data Type: character
Unique Values: (showing all 49 entries)
   Cane Bay
   Eagle Ray
   Lang Bank Red Hind FSA
   Jacks Bay
   Buck Island STX
   Salt River West
   Coculus Rock
   Magens Bay
   Sprat Hole
   Fish Bay
   Brewers Bay
   Botany Bay
   Hind Bank East FSA
   Castle
   Grammanik Tiger FSA
   College Shoal East
   Mutton Snapper FSA
   Flat Cay
   Seahorse Cottage Shoal
   Great Pond
   Black Point
   Savana
   South Capella
   Buck Island STT
   South Water
   St James
   Meri Shoal
   Kings Corner
   Salt River Deep
   Lang Bank EEMP
   Cane Bay Deep
   Ginsburg Fringe
   Coral Bay
   Buck Island STX Deep
   VIIS-Newfound
   VIIS-Yawzi
   VIIS-Mennebeck
   VIIS-Haulover
   VIIS-Tektite
   BUIS-Western Spur and Groove
   BUIS-South Fore Reef
   Cabritte Horn
   East Tektite
   Europa Bay
   West Little Lameshur
   West Tektite
   White Point
   Yawzi
   Tektite

column: period
description: Refers to the sample period in which the data falls; Periods are as follows: Annual (normal annual TCRMP sampling), PeakBL (secondary TCRMP sampling to capture peak bleaching due to thermal stress), PostBL (secondary sampling as a follow up to thermal stress), SCTLD (extra sampling points taken at a subsample of TCRMP locations to monitor the progression of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease), WS (samples taken at a subset of TCRMP locations [Black Point, Buck Island STT, Coculus Rock, Magens Bay, Botany Bay, Savana, Flat Cay, Seahorse Cottage Shoal] during research cruises aboard the R/V Walton Smith), and Juvenile (limited, modified surveys conducted to assess the presence of juvenile recruits). NA was added for VINPS and CSUN
Data Type: character
Unique Values: (showing all 6 entries)
   Annual
   PeakBL
   WS
   SCTLD
   PostBL
   NA

column: replicate
description: the replicate number
Data Type: character
Unique Values: (showing all 20 entries)
   1
   2
   3
   4
   5
   6
   7
   8
   9
   10
   11
   12
   13
   14
   15
   16
   17
   18
   19
   20

column: replicatetype
description: the type of replicate
Data Type: character
Unique Values: (showing all 2 entries)
   transect
   site

column: benthicCategories
description: benthic category
Data Type: character
Unique Values: (showing all 3 entries)
   percentCover_allCoral
   percentCover_macroalgae
   percentCover_CTB

column: perccover
description: percentage cover of that benthic category
Data Type: numeric
Mean: 28.476431957982
Min: 0
Max: 97.14

column: pres
description: presence/absence of that benthic category
Data Type: numeric
Mean: 0.995474325500435
Min: 0
Max: 1