Reef Biology

Monitoring Session

A structured survey event where field teams assess fragments or an entire nursery.

A structured survey event where field teams (Gardeners) assess a set of fragments, an entire nursery, or outplant cells.

Types:

Session typeScope
Full nursery monitoringAll fragments in nursery
Bleaching monitoringBleach-focused nursery snapshot
Outplant cell monitoringOutplant cell/bommie health assessment
Donor colony monitoringMother colony health check

Methodology-prescribed schedules:

ContextCadence
NurseryImmediately after filling → every 3 months → before next outplant (~1 year)
BleachingEvery 2 weeks from first signs until recovery
Outplant bommies/cellsBefore outplant → T0 → annually before and after each outplant season
Mother colonies3 months → 6 months → 1 year (10% subset)

Sample sizes (methodology): 20% of nursery corals for health monitoring, 10% per genotype for growth monitoring.

Workflow:

  1. Field team conducts in-water survey
  2. Data entered into the ReefApp
  3. System aggregates individual observations into session-level summaries

See also: Fragment, Nursery, Outplant Cell

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