Contact Tim.Battista@noaa.gov for digital PDF copy.

The purpose of this Atlas is to provide detailed maps depicting the GIS benthic habitat data produced, and outline the benthic habitat classification scheme and protocols used to map American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Thirty-four distinct benthic habitat types (i.e., four major and fourteen detailed geomorphological structure classes; nine major and five detailed biological cover types) within eleven zones were mapped directly into a geographic information system (GIS) using visual interpretation of orthorectified IKONOS satellite imagery benthic features were mapped (see Figure 1) that covered an area of 263 km2 from the shoreline to water depth of approximately 30 meters. In all, 81 km2 of unconsolidated sediment, 122 km2 of submerged vegetation, and 82.3 km2 of coral reef and colonized hardbottom were mapped.