Benthic Photo Quadrat

Each transect requires a transect number, depth (m), surveyed transect length (m), the starting quadrat number, the quadrat size (m2), the number of quadrats, and the number of points per quadrat.

Enter the photo identification results from the photo quadrat observations at the bottom of the form.

Each observation must record the total number of points identified as a particular benthic attribute in a particular photo quadrat.

After typing any three letters of an observed benthic attribute, MERMAID will provide a predictive dropdown with names. This ensures that all spelling is correct and consistent. Select the benthic attribute by using the ‘up’ or ‘down’ arrow keys on your keyboard or with your mouse, or entering more letters so that there is only one choice, and then pressing the 'Enter'/'Return' or 'Tab' key to select a name. Growth forms can be selected from the dropdown list or predicted by typing.

Available benthic attributes can be found using the “Reference” icon at the header of any page. New benthic attributes can be proposed to the MERMAID science team for approval and addition.

The sum of the points in the observations entered for that quadrat must equal the total number of points entered at the transect level above.

The percent cover of each benthic category along the transect will automatically be calculated and displayed at the bottom of the rows. All benthic attributes belong hierarchically to a small number of top-level benthic categories commonly used for analysis, such as "hard coral".

NAVIGATION TIP

Use the ‘Tab’ key to move across to the attribute, growth form, and number of points columns. At the end of the row, press 'Enter'/'Return' to create a blank row and add a new benthic attribute observation. Press the 'Tab' key at the end of the row to duplicate the benthic attribute in the next row.