Coral reef ecosystem integrated observing system: <i>In-situ</i> oceanographic observations at the US Pacific islands and atolls

Abstract

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) established the Coral Reef Ecosystem Integrated Observing System (CREIOS) to provide integrated and interdisciplinary environmental and ecological observations. NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED) leads the Pacific portion of CREIOS, conducting biennial biological and hydrographic surveys of US Pacific coral reefs and maintaining a diverse network of in situ instrumentation providing time series of ecosystem variables. This paper focuses on the oceanographic and environmental observations and data products of CREIOS across the Pacific and provides an overview of the methods, challenges, and future directions of the observing system