Acropora cervicornis fragments of each genotype were evenly and haphazardly assigned to two nutrient treatments: ambient nutrients (Ambient) or elevated ammonium (NH4). Each nutrient treatment was replicated in four independent tanks (n = 3 fragments per genotype per tank). For ~1.5 months (47 d), Ambient tanks were maintained under nutrient levels consistent with the values in Virginia Key, FL, while elevated NH4 tanks were dosed with NH4Cl [3 mM] every 15 minutes using peristaltic pumps. The initial NH4 dose volume was 10 mL of the stock solution, targeting a ~10 μM increase in NH4 concentration. These values were calculated to account for the dilution of the nutrients resulting from adding new ambient seawater to the tanks (200 mL/min in a total tank volume of 180 L). After detecting higher than normal NH4 concentrations in the incoming seawater from Biscayne Bay, the NH4 dose volume was lowered to 5 mL of the stock solution, targeting ~5 μM NH4 increase above ambient values. The fragments were also assigned to disease vs. placebo treatments, the disease treatments involving exposure to homogenates of corals showing signs of white band disease following the protocol found in Rosales & Palacio-Castro (2024). Water samples (~40 mL) were collected to monitor NH4 levels in the treatments and immediately refrigerated at 4C. The elevated NH4 tanks were sampled daily, but the Ambient tanks were sampled less frequently (~2-3 days and no samples were collected during weeks 1 and 3 of the experiment). Nutrient concentrations were measured at NOAA-AOML using an AA3 nutrient analyzer (Seal Analytical, Southampton, UK). The instrument was calibrated before each run using standard solutions and procedures. Initially, only NH4 was monitored, but after high NH4 concentrations in the source seawater were detected, additional measurements of PO4 were included.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a spatial water-quality model called SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) to estimate the major sources and environmental factors that affect the long-term supply, transport, and fate of contaminants in the Nation’s streams. The SPARROW model relates in-stream water-quality data to spatially referenced characteristics of watersheds, including contaminant sources and factors influencing terrestrial and aquatic transport. Based on SPARROW modeling, one of the main nutrient sources to streams is point-source facilities such as municipal waste-water treatment plants that discharge directly to streams. This dataset was developed to assist with SPARROW models developed to assess supply, transport and fate of total nitrogen and phosphorous in streams of the conterminous United States (2012). This dataset documents discharge information from point sources in the conterminous United States and was obtained from the EPA Integrated Compliance Information System (ICIS) and Permit Compliance System (PCS). When available, nutrient concentrations were used to calculate point source loads. However, in many cases measured concentration data were not available in the ICIS or PCS data base and so “typical pollutant concentrations” (TPC’s) were developed using data from similar facilities. A new method for calculating TPC’s was implemented that allows varying amounts of nutrient concentration data and/or varying numbers of facilities to determine TPC’s. This dataset contains the EPA facility, flow, and concentration data and all updates to the data, along with the TPC tables and resultant total nitrogen and phosphorous loads calculated from the input datasets.

To maximize long term (>10yr) survival of nursery raised Acropora cervicornis corals, a map based tool was created that ranks locations in the Florida Acropora Critical Habitat based on climate vulnerability. Climate vulnerability is defined both in terms of exposure to future heat stress and the coral's sensitivity as resilience. Suitable sites are determined by a number of factors, suitable sites must be within the Acropora critical habitat and within the depth range 5-15m, with either hard bottom or coral present. Those possible locations are ranked based on projected climate change impacts and a resilience metric based on seven different indicators: coral cover, macroalgae cover, bleaching resistance, coral diversity, coral disease, herbivore biomass, and temperature variability. The data is presented as a Google Earth tool (zipped), maps, gridded netCDF files and are accompanied by a guidance document and a .csv file ranking all locations. The Google Earth tool contains five major layers: depth, turbidity, resilience, year of annual severe bleaching, and outplanting score. Bleaching projections included here use climate model data from 2006-2099.

This dataset represents three years of water quality data collected in the South Florida Reef Tract. A standard suite of nutrient parameters (nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, urea, total nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphorus and silica) monthly from 2016 to 2018.

This record describes water quality inorganic nutrient concentration metrics collected monthly between May 2023 to May 2024 to provide reference data of nearshore and watershed water quality on the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico. The water quality monitoring was conducted at 18 fixed stations. Five stations were selected to quantify Land Based Sources of Pollution (LBSP) stressor loads at key point and non-point sources in the Cabra, Coronel, and Aeropuerto watersheds. Levels of LBSP exposure were measured at 13 nearshore stations co-located with long-term seagrass monitoring sites. Nearshore monitoring sites were selected to identify watershed discharge points, coastal hydrodynamics, as well as the existing level of LBSP exposure and anticipated changes to LBSP exposure due to management actions. Nearshore monitoring stations were designated based on their land based sources of pollution management implementation status (LBSP Treatment Group), as follows: 1) LBSP Restoration stations: Located downstream where land-based pollutant management has or is being implemented. 2) LBSP Control stations: Represent a range of land-based pollutant impairments, including sites with no LBSP management, no known direct discharge of LBSP but are representative of the range of external factors that may be encountered at the LBSP Restoration stations. 3) Negative Reference stations of know significant -anecdotal and quantified- LBSP impairment. 4) Positive Reference stations of low LBSP impairment. Nearshore water quality samples were collected at two depths: surface (10-25 cm ) and bottom (2 m deep). Watershed water quality samples were collected only at surface. Water quality inorganic nutrient concentration metrics include: Nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, total nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphorus, and silica. The research questions, survey design and monitoring localities were specific to this study and the associated water quality data is unsuitable in a regulatory framework. The data presented herein was collected with financial support from NOAA Restoration Center and NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).

Preliminary experiments were conducted to determine optimal turbidity dosing systems for coral fragments and the parameters and results of each experiment (10) were reported. Three coral challenge experiments were performed on Orbicella faveolata fragments with varying durations: 48 h, 96 h and 13 days between 2/18/2020 and 3/22/2020. Tissue regeneration (wound healing) was measured on fragments during the exposure periods. Wound images were collected and ImageJ analyses of the wound size were recorded. Sediment particle sizes were measured on 9/28/2022 and a sea urchin embryo development toxicity test (9/1/2022-9/3/2022) was used to evaluate potential toxicity in the sediment used for the coral exposures.