基于高分辨率浅剖与钻孔信息对比的金州湾海底声速的统计特征

声波在海底沉积物中的传播速度是一个重要参数,弄清海底沉积物中声速的变化规律具有极其重要的意义。以渤海金州湾海域为例,在进行畸变校正的基础上,基于高分辨率浅地层剖面与钻孔数据的对比分析,实现了全新世沉积层和基岩界面以上沉积层声速的准确反演,并采用统计学方法分析讨论了研究区内的声速特征和变化规律,结果表明,全新世沉积层平均声速的95%置信区间为1 449.60～1 655.72 m/s,平均值为1 560.34 m/s;基岩界面以上沉积层平均声速的95%置信区间为1 657.96～1 970.80 m/s,平均值为1 765.63 m/s;研究区内海底地层的声速与埋藏深度之间呈现明显的正线性相关关系,声速梯度为4.18 s⁻¹。     

Cautionary considerations for geohazard mapping with multibeam sonar: resolution and the need for the third and fourth dimensions

Most modern submarine geohazard investigations rely heavily on multibeam sonar data, yet there are limitations to these data that must be respected. Disregard of fundamental aspects of spatial sampling, averaging and interpolation, and statistical parameters that accompany all forms of measurement, can lead to over-interpretation of data. Beam spreading and sounding density govern spatial resolution and therefore limit seafloor features that are resolved and interpreted as indicative of geohazards. These resolution limitations are shown with a synthetic model of the seafloor convolved with a spherically spreading wavefront approximated with a spherical smoothing algorithm. This simulation shows the inability to resolve metrics of objects, as well as determine critical parameters such as slope angles with increasing water depth. As well, real case examples are presented showing these effects on identification of targets, slope angles and pockmarks. Misinterpretation of seafloor features is common in multibeam data, particularly without the benefit of coincident subbottom data. Thus it is critical to image the third dimension below the seafloor. Finally, seafloor mapping for geohazards is just one step in a geohazard assessment: it is critical to know frequency of recurrence of geohazard events and their modern geologic context in order to appropriately assess risk.     

Combining pixel and object based image analysis of ultra-high resolution multibeam bathymetry and backscatter for habitat mapping in shallow marine waters

Habitat mapping data are increasingly being recognised for their importance in underpinning marine spatial planning. The ability to collect ultra-high resolution (cm) multibeam echosounder (MBES) data in shallow waters has facilitated understanding of the fine-scale distribution of benthic habitats in these areas that are often prone to human disturbance. Developing quantitative and objective approaches to integrate MBES data with ground observations for predictive modelling is essential for ensuring repeatability and providing confidence measures for habitat mapping products. Whilst supervised classification approaches are becoming more common, users are often faced with a decision whether to implement a pixel based (PB) or an object based (OB) image analysis approach, with often limited understanding of the potential influence of that decision on final map products and relative importance of data inputs to patterns observed. In this study, we apply an ensemble learning approach capable of integrating PB and OB Image Analysis from ultra-high resolution MBES bathymetry and backscatter data for mapping benthic habitats in Refuge Cove, a temperate coastal embayment in south-east Australia. We demonstrate the relative importance of PB and OB seafloor derivatives for the five broad benthic habitats that dominate the site. We found that OB and PB approaches performed well with differences in classification accuracy but not discernible statistically. However, a model incorporating elements of both approaches proved to be significantly more accurate than OB or PB methods alone and demonstrate the benefits of using MBES bathymetry and backscatter combined for class discrimination.     

Processing of high-frequency multibeam echo sounder data for seafloor characterization

Processing simultaneous bathymetry and backscatter data, multibeam echosounders (MBESs) show promising abilities for remote seafloor characterization. High-frequency MBESs provide a good horizontal resolution, making it possible to distinguish fine details at the water-seafloor interface. However, in order to accurately measure the seafloor influence on the backscattered energy, the recorded sonar data must first be processed and cleared of various artifacts generated by the sonar system itself. Such a preprocessing correction procedure along with the assessment of its validity limits is presented and applied to a 95-kHz MBES (Simrad EM 1000) data set. Beam pattern effects, uneven array sensitivities, and inaccurate normalization of the ensonified area are removed to make possible further quantitative analysis of the corrected backscatter images. Unlike low-frequency data where the average backscattered energy proves to be the only relevant feature for discriminating the nature of the seafloor, high-frequency MBES backscatter images exhibit visible texture patterns. This additional information involves different statistical distributions of the backscattered amplitudes obtained from various seafloor types. Non-Rayleigh statistics such as K-distributions are shown to fit correctly the skewed distributions of experimental high-frequency data. Apart from the effect of the seafloor micro-roughness, a statistical model makes clear a correlation between the amplitude statistical distributions and the signal incidence angle made available by MBES bathymetric abilities. Moreover, the model enhances the effect of the first derivative of the seafloor backscattering strength upon statistical distributions near the nadir and at high incidence angles. The whole correction and analysis process is finally applied to a Simrad EM 1000 data set.     

Modelling the distribution of hard seabed using calibrated multibeam acoustic backscatter data in a tropical,macrotidal embayment: Darwin Harbour,Australia

Spatial information on the distribution of seabed substrate types in high use coastal areas is essential to support their effective management and environmental monitoring. For Darwin Harbour, a rapidly developing port in northern Australia, the distribution of hard substrate is poorly documented but known to influence the location and composition of important benthic biological communities (corals, sponges). In this study, we use angular backscatter response curves to model the distribution of hard seabed in the subtidal areas of Darwin Harbour. The angular backscatter response curve data were extracted from multibeam sonar data and analysed against backscatter intensity for sites observed from seabed video to be representative of “hard” seabed. Data from these sites were consolidated into an “average curve”, which became a reference curve that was in turn compared to all other angular backscatter response curves using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov goodness-of-fit. The output was used to generate interpolated spatial predictions of the probability of hard seabed (p-hard) and derived hard seabed parameters for the mapped area of Darwin Harbour. The results agree well with the ground truth data with an overall classification accuracy of 75% and an area under curve measure of 0.79, and with modelled bed shear stress for the Harbour. Limitations of this technique are discussed with attention to discrepancies between the video and acoustic results, such as in areas where sediment forms a veneer over hard substrate.     

A geomorphological mapping approach for the assessment of seabed geohazards and risk

Exploration and development of offshore hydrocarbon resources has advanced into remote deepwater regions over the last decade and poses significant technical challenges for the design and installation of wells and facilities at extreme water depths. Seafloor and shallow subsurface processes and conditions in these areas are complex and generally poorly understood, and the geohazards to development are larger scale and fundamentally different to those encountered onshore; consequently the geohazard risk to deepwater development projects is potentially significant and requires careful evaluation and mitigation during the front-end planning and engineering design stages of projects. There are no established industry standards or methods for the assessment of geohazards and engineering-quality geophysical data at the scale of development. The paper describes an integrated and systematic map-based approach for the assessment and mitigation of seabed geohazards and risk to proposed deepwater development. The approach employs a multi-disciplinary team working with engineering-quality field calibrated data to accurately map and assess seafloor ground conditions and ensure that development proposals are not exposed to intolerable geohazard risk. The approach taken is very similar to the practice of establishing geological models for land-based engineering projects, in which the complete geological history of the site is used to characterise and predict the performance of the ground. Such an approach is routine for major projects on land but so far does not seem to be common practice in the offshore industry. The paper illustrates the seafloor geomophological mapping approach developed. The products are being used to optimise development layouts to avoid geohazards where possible and to support site-specific engineering design of facilities based on a detailed understanding of the potential geohazard loadings and associated risk.     

Generation of high resolution sea surface temperature using multi-satellite data for operational oceanography

In the present article, we introduce a high resolution sea surface temperature(SST) product generated daily by Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology(KIOST). The SST product is comprised of four sets of data including eight-hour and daily average SST data of 1 km resolution, and is based on the four infrared(IR) satellite SST data acquired by advanced very high resolution radiometer(AVHRR), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS), Multifunctional Transport Satellites-2(MTSAT-2) Imager and Meteorological Imager(MI), two microwave radiometer SSTs acquired by Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2(AMSR2), and Wind SAT with in-situ temperature data. These input satellite and in-situ SST data are merged by using the optimal interpolation(OI) algorithm. The root-mean-square-errors(RMSEs) of satellite and in-situ data are used as a weighting value in the OI algorithm. As a pilot product, four SST data sets were generated daily from January to December 2013. In the comparison between the SSTs measured by moored buoys and the daily mean KIOST SSTs, the estimated RMSE was 0.71°C and the bias value was –0.08°C. The largest RMSE and bias were 0.86 and –0.26°C respectively, observed at a buoy site in the boundary region of warm and cold waters with increased physical variability in the Sea of Japan/East Sea. Other site near the coasts shows a lower RMSE value of 0.60°C than those at the open waters. To investigate the spatial distributions of SST, the Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature(GHRSST) product was used in the comparison of temperature gradients, and it was shown that the KIOST SST product represents well the water mass structures around the Korean Peninsula. The KIOST SST product generated from both satellite and buoy data is expected to make substantial contribution to the Korea Operational Oceanographic System(KOOS) as an input parameter for data assimilation.     

Analysis of simrad EM12 multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data for seafloor mapping,exemplified at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 45° N

The EM12 multibeam echosounder can record acoustic backscatter information as well as high resolution bathymetry. The dataset presented, from the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 45° N, was the first EM12 survey of a mid-ocean ridge. This paper presents methods for utilising the backscatter information. Data processing enables the production of a mosaic of acoustic backscatter, and visualisation techniques are investigated to provide initial qualitative views of the combined backscatter and bathymetry datasets. The co-registration of the backscatter and bathymetry data enables quantitative analysis of their relationships. Various sites of different geological type have been selected and their angular acoustic backscattering relationships estimated, including the effect on backscatter of incidence angle, its regional variability with bottom type and the influence of bottom slope. Incidence angles and bottom type are shown to affect backscatter to a similar degree, while slopes appear to contribute little. The geometry of hull-mounted systems, such as the EM12, is significantly different from that of conventional sidescan sonars, such as GLORIA, and the backscatter images from the two types differ in various respects. Because of the wide variations in incidence angle that are common with hull-mounted systems, and the importance of incidence angle in determining backscatter strength, it is vital to consider the effect of incidence angle during interpretation.     

Coupled analysis for response and instability of sloping seabed under wave action

Wave-induced instability of seabed may cause damage to coastal and offshore structures. This issue has been investigated mostly for mildly sloping ($<5^{°}$) seabed considering uncoupled or one-way coupled response of wave and seabed interaction. However, some of the marine structures are founded on seabed with steeper slopes. In this study, the wave-induced response and instability of sloping seabed are evaluated using a coupled finite element model. The interaction between fluid and porous seabed accounting for the effect of fluid motion on the seabed response, and conversely the effect of seabed response on the fluid motion (but not on the surface wave profile) is considered. The results indicate that the system response (fluid pressure, stresses, etc.) and the extent of instantaneously liquefied zone within the sloping seabed with significant steepness are lesser than those for horizontal seabed. Moreover, for typical sediment and wave characteristics, for the flat seabed, the response obtained from fully coupled analysis is not significantly different from those obtained by uncoupled analysis. For the sloping bed, such difference is slightly greater as compared to that for the flat bed.     

A new method for weakening the combined effect of residual errors on multibeam bathymetric data

Multibeam bathymetric system (MBS) has been widely applied in the marine surveying for providing high-resolution seabed topography. However, some factors degrade the precision of bathymetry, including the sound velocity, the vessel attitude, the misalignment angle of the transducer and so on. Although these factors have been corrected strictly in bathymetric data processing, the final bathymetric result is still affected by their residual errors. In deep water, the result usually cannot meet the requirements of high-precision seabed topography. The combined effect of these residual errors is systematic, and it’s difficult to separate and weaken the effect using traditional single-error correction methods. Therefore, the paper puts forward a new method for weakening the effect of residual errors based on the frequency-spectrum characteristics of seabed topography and multibeam bathymetric data. Four steps, namely the separation of the low-frequency and the high-frequency part of bathymetric data, the reconstruction of the trend of actual seabed topography, the merging of the actual trend and the extracted microtopography, and the accuracy evaluation, are involved in the method. Experiment results prove that the proposed method could weaken the combined effect of residual errors on multibeam bathymetric data and efficiently improve the accuracy of the final post-processing results. We suggest that the method should be widely applied to MBS data processing in deep water.     

Performance comparison of high resolution bearing estimationalgorithms using simulated and sea test data

The performance of both the Capon and the MUSIC high resolution bearing estimation algorithms is investigated using both simulated data and sea test data collected with an experimental planar array. The major problem with these estimators is their sensitivity to both system errors and deviations from the assumed noise model. To alleviate this problem, two methods for preprocessing the data before they are input into the high-resolution algorithm are investigated: beam space and sector focused stability. The performance of both high-resolution estimators is examined, using both types of preprocessing, and the results are compared with those for the standard element-space (ES) techniques, assuming both finite cross-spectral-matrix (CSM) averaging errors and weakening target strengths. For the Capon estimator the performance is only superior to the standard element space technique when the CSM is calculated using a small number of averages. For the MUSIC estimator, both preprocessing techniques give clearly superior results over standard space techniques, with the SFS preprocessor performing the best     

Evaluation of image-based multibeam sonar backscatter classification for benthic habitat discrimination and mapping at Stanton Banks,UK

In recent years, efforts have increased to develop quantitative, computer-directed methods for segmentation of multibeam (MBES) backscatter data. This study utilises MBES backscatter data acquired at Stanton Banks (UK) and subsequently processed through the QTC-Multiview software environment in a bid to evaluate the program's ability to perform unsupervised classification. Statistical comparison with ground-truth data (grab, stills and video) enabled cross validation of acoustic segmentation and biological assemblages observed at the site. 132 unspecified variables were extracted from user-specified rectangular patches of the backscatter image, reduced to three vectors by PCA, then clustered and classified by the software. Multivariate analyses of ground-truth data were conducted on 75 stills images and 51 grab samples. Video footage coincident with the stills was divided into 30 s segments and coded by dominant substrate and species. Cross tabulation determined the interrelationship between software classifications, multivariate analysis of the biological assemblages and coded video segments. Multiview optimally identified 19 classes using the automated clustering engine. These were revised to 6 habitats a posteriori, using combined analysis of ground-truth data and Multiview data products. These habitats broadly correspond to major physiographic provinces within the region. Multivariate statistical analysis reveals low levels of assemblage similarity (<35%) for samples occurring within Multiview classes, irrespective of the mode of acquisition. Coded video data is more spatially appropriate than the other methods of ground-truthing investigated, although it is less well suited to the extraction of truly quantitative data. Multivariate analysis indicates assemblages within physiographically distinct Multiview classes have a low degree of biological similarity, supporting the notion that abiotic proxies may be contraindicative of benthic assemblage variations. QTC-Multiview performs well as a mechanism for computer-assisted segmentation of MBES backscatter imagery into acoustic provinces; however a degree of caution is required prior to ascribing ecological significance to these classifications.     

GIS-based mapping for marine geohazards in seabed fluid leakage areas (Gulf of Cadiz, Spain)

This paper applies, for the first time in offshore deepwater, a method based on geographic information systems for seafloor susceptibility assessment as a first approach to marine geohazard mapping in fluid leakage areas (slope instabilities, gas escapes, seabed collapses, pockmarks, etc.). The assessment was carried out in a known seabed fluid-flow province located on the Iberian margin of the Gulf of C??diz, Spain. The method (based on statistical bivariate analysis) creates a susceptibility map that defines the likelihood of occurrence of seafloor features related to fluid flow: crater-like depressions and submarine landslides. It is based on the statistical index (Wi) method (Van Westen in Statistical landslide hazard analysis. ILWIS 2.1 for Windows application guide. ITC Publication, Enschede, pp 73?C84, 1997), in which Wi is a function of the cartographic density of seafloor features on ??factor maps??. The factors selected monitor the seafloor??s capability to store and transfer hydrocarbon gases and gravitational instability triggers: geology-lithology, gas hydrate stability zone thickness (temperature, pressure?Cwater depth and geothermal gradient), occurrence of diapirs, proximity to faults or lineaments, and slope angle of the seafloor. Results show that the occurrence of seafloor features related to fluid flow is highest where the factors ??gas source and storage?? and ??pathways of fluid escape?? converge. This means that they are particularly abundant over diapirs in contourite deposits, in the vicinity of faults, and inside theoretical gas hydrate stability fields thinned by warm undercurrents. Furthermore, the submarine landslides located on the Palaeozoic-Toarcian basement are not related to fluid leakage. This methodology provides helpful information for hazard mitigation in regional selection of potential drill sites, deep-water construction sites or pipeline routes. It is an easily applied and useful tool for taking the first step in risk assessment on a regional scale for vast areas where fluid leakage may be present, the geological model is known, and the geologically hazardous features have already been mapped.     

希尔伯特谱白化方法在海洋地震资料高分辨率处理中的应用

针对海洋地震资料高分辨率宽频处理的要求, 也为了克服常规谱白化、反Q滤波等方法无法同时增强时域和频域局部细节的不足, 基于希尔伯特黄变换(HHT)的谱白化方法对海洋地震资料进行高分辨率处理应用研究。对地震记录进行固有模态分解(EMD), 得到不同尺度的IMF分量; 再利用常规谱白化方法对每个分量根据瞬时频率进行合理的振幅均衡; 将均衡后的IMF分量进行反变换重构地震记录, 从而得到高分辨地震数据。通过理论模型和实际地震资料实验, 与常规谱白化方法的对比分析, 表明该方法信号局部时频刻画能力以及相对振幅保真性优于常规方法, 同时表明此方法能够有效增强地震信号时域和频域的分辨率, 使地震剖面更为连续和清晰, 并具有较高的信噪比     

Construction of surface wind stress fields with high temporal resolution using ERS-1 scatterometer data

Wind stress fields with high temporal resolution over the North Pacific have been constructured by using ERS-1 scatterometer data. A simple objective analysis, a successive correction method, was used to construct the fields. Several necessary parameters used in the method are examined by a simulation based on the climatological data. The meridional decorrelation scale of the wind stress depends strongly on the season, while the zonal decorrelation scale is highly stable. We determined the decorrelation scale depending on the location and the time and applied to the successive correction method. The monthly mean field constructed by averaging the daily mean data is free from an aliasing error, which is a serious problem if a simple monthly averaging is applied. The daily wind stress data obtained in the present study represent small time- and spatial-scale variation and large amplitudes compared with data interpolated from simple monthly mean data. The satellite-derived data are also compared with in situ data obtained by meteorological buoys. The satellite wind speeds are lower than in situ wind speeds for every buoy. This underestimation is not due to the present objective analysis, but due to the original data, the ERS-1 Scatterometer Value-Added Product.     

Performance of non-linear seabed interaction models for steel catenary risers,part II: global response

Fatigue response of steel catenary risers (SCR) in the touchdown zone (TDZ) is significantly affected by riser-seabed interaction. Non-linear hysteretic riser-seabed interaction models have been recently developed to simulate the SCR cyclic embedment into the seabed. Despite the advancements achieved in the prediction of non-linear hysteretic riser-seabed interaction, several inconsistencies have been recently identified in the nodal performance of some of the popular models. These limitations need to be resolved by proposing new models or improving the existing models. However, it is necessary to evaluate the influence of the identified shortcomings of the existing models on the global performance of the riser. In this paper, the influence of nodal inconsistencies observed in a popular riser-seabed interaction model on the global performance of the riser was comprehensively examined in the TDZ. The riser embedment profile, cyclic contact stress, contact stress envelop, mean shear force, cyclic bending moment, and consequently the cumulative fatigue damage was investigated. The study showed that the soil model overestimates the riser embedment and other global responses. Recommendations were made to overcome the identified shortcomings of the existing models in future developments.     

Multisource multibeam backscatter data: developing a strategy for the production of benthic habitat maps using semi-automated seafloor classification methods

The establishment of multibeam echosounders (MBES) as a mainstream tool in ocean mapping has facilitated integrative approaches towards nautical charting, benthic habitat mapping, and seafloor geotechnical surveys. The bathymetric and backscatter information generated by MBES enables marine scientists to present highly accurate bathymetric data with a spatial resolution closely matching that of terrestrial mapping, and can generate customized thematic seafloor maps to meet multiple ocean management needs. However, when a variety of MBES systems are used, the creation of objective habitat maps can be hindered by the lack of backscatter calibration, due for example, to system-specific settings, yielding relative rather than absolute values. Here, we describe an approach using object-based image analysis to combine 4 non-overlapping and uncalibrated (backscatter) MBES coverages to form a seamless habitat map on St. Anns Bank (Atlantic Canada), a marine protected area hosting a diversity of benthic habitats. The benthoscape map was produced by analysing each coverage independently with supervised classification (k-nearest neighbor) of image-objects based on a common suite of 7 benthoscapes (determined with 4214 ground-truthing photographs at 61 stations, and characterized with backscatter, bathymetry, and bathymetric position index). Manual re-classification based on uncertainty in membership values to individual classes—especially at the boundaries between coverages—was used to build the final benthoscape map. Given the costs and scarcity of MBES surveys in offshore marine ecosystems—particularly in large ecosystems in need of adequate conservation strategies, such as in Canadian waters—developing approaches to synthesize multiple datasets to meet management needs is warranted.     

利用热带太平洋TAO浮标阵列评估全球高分辨率浪-潮-流耦合模式同化结果

In order to evaluate the assimilation results from a global high resolution ocean model, the buoy observations from tropical atmosphere ocean(TAO) during August 2014 to July 2015 are employed. The horizontal resolution of wave-tide-circulation coupled ocean model developed by The First Institute of Oceanography(FIOCOM model) is 0.1°×0.1°, and ensemble adjustment Kalman filter is used to assimilate the sea surface temperature(SST), sea level anomaly(SLA) and Argo temperature/salinity profiles. The simulation results with and without data assimilation are examined. First, the overall statistic errors of model results are analyzed. The scatter diagrams of model simulations versus observations and corresponding error probability density distribution show that the errors of all the observed variables, including the temperature, isotherm depth of 20°C(D20), salinity and two horizontal component of velocity are reduced to some extent with a maximum improvement of 54% after assimilation. Second, time-averaged variables are used to investigate the horizontal and vertical structures of the model results. Owing to the data assimilation, the biases of the time-averaged distribution are reduced more than70% for the temperature and D20 especially in the eastern Pacific. The obvious improvement of D20 which represents the upper mixed layer depth indicates that the structure of the temperature after the data assimilation becomes more close to the reality and the vertical structure of the upper ocean becomes more reasonable. At last,the physical processes of time series are compared with observations. The time evolution processes of all variables after the data assimilation are more consistent with the observations. The temperature bias and RMSE of D20 are reduced by 76% and 56% respectively with the data assimilation. More events during this period are also reproduced after the data assimilation. Under the condition of strong 2014/2016 El Ni?o, the Equatorial Undercurrent(EUC) from the TAO is gradually increased during August to November in 2014, and followed by a decreasing process. Since the improvement of the structure in the upper ocean, these events of the EUC can be clearly found in the assimilation results. In conclusion, the data assimilation in this global high resolution model has successfully reduced the model biases and improved the structures of the upper ocean, and the physical processes in reality can be well produced.     

Possibilities for determining temperature and emissivity of the land surface from data of satellite IR sounders with high spectral resolution (IRFS-2)

Numerical experiments on the simultaneous retrieval of the temperature and spectral emissivity of different land types are performed on the basis of inversion of the simulated high spectral resolution measurements by the IRFS-2 satellite IR sounder. The IRFS-2 data inversion method is based on using a priori information on the spectral behavior of emissivity of different land types and the multiple linear regression technique. The rms errors of determination of the underlying surface temperature using different solving operators are 0.26–0.71 K. The application of the developed IRFS-2 measurement inversion method makes it possible to estimate the land surface emissivity with an rms error not larger than 0.015.     

Testing taxonomic resolution,data transformation and selection of species for monitoring macroalgae communities

The Water Framework and Habitats Directives require the evaluation of both the conservation and ecological status of macroalgae communities at water body or habitat level. However, assessments of macroalgal communities are highly time-consuming, both in terms of sampling effort and laboratory processing. These constraints have brought about their oversight in many marine monitoring programs, especially in subtidal environments. By using data from intertidal and subtidal macroalgae assemblages of Mouro Island (North coast of Spain) we wanted to identify possible cost-effective methods for monitoring this biological indicator, based on both high taxa levels and use of representative taxa. Multivariate analyses were applied using different data transformations. The results show that macroalgal communities are robust to aggregation to genus or even family level. Moreover, the outcomes show that transformation types introduce higher variation in the multivariate pattern of samples than the taxonomic level to which organisms are identified. Also, the study supports the use of representative taxa as a surrogate to overall community structure. Therefore, we conclude that a rapid-assessment by means of field evaluations, based on coverage of representative taxa, is a reliable alternative for the assessment of macroalgae status. In addition this procedure allows evaluation at a broader spatial scale (water body or habitat level) than traditional quantitative sampling procedure does.