This dataset includes lab-based measurements of ocean acidification on Caribbean bioeroders (endolithic algae and reef-excavating sponges) collected on Cheeca Rocks Reef, Florida Keys, Northwest Atlantic Ocean, from 2018-06-11 to 2018-07-12. Caribbean coral reef ecosystems have entered a state of net erosion in response to ocean acidification (OA) due to a combination of reduced carbonate production and enhanced bioerosion. The negative response of coral reef calcifiers to OA has been well-established, whereas OA-enhanced bioerosion is relatively poorly understood. Microboring algae and macroboring sponges are both major contributors to coral reef carbonate budgets (Perry et al., 2012). Microboring algae use exclusively chemical (extracellular ion transport) means (Garcia-Pichel, 2006) to break down carbonate framework, whereas macroboring sponges use a combination of both chemical (enzymatic dissolution) and mechanical (substrate dislodgment) methods (Rutzler and Rieger, 1973) to erode reef framework. Prior studies have found that both microboring algae and macroboring sponges appear to benefit from OA through both enhanced bioerosion and physiological fitness, but have disproportionally focused on the responses of Pacific Ocean species. Here, we independently evaluated the OA-response of two Caribbean bioeroders to quantify the impact of OA on their physiology and bioerosion rates.

Coral reef ecosystems are experiencing increased rates of dissolution due to the impacts of ocean acidification (OA) on coral reef calcifiers and bioeroders. Here, we subjected common zooxanthellate (Cliona varians) and azooxanthellate (Pione lampa) Caribbean sponges to four pH treatments: pre-industrial (8.15), present-day (8.05) and two future OA scenarios (7.85 and 7.75). Total bioerosion (buoyant weight), chemical bioerosion, and mechanical bioerosion rates were measured to evaluate trends related to seawater pH. We identified a parabolic relationship between OA and sponge bioerosion, with the highest rates measured in the moderate OA treatment (7.85 pH) and decreasing under the more extreme OA treatment (7.75 pH). This suggests that sponges may become physiologically impaired under prolonged exposure to extreme OA, resulting in diminished bioerosion potential. These data reveal that carbonate dissolution is likely to increase in the upcoming decades as a result of OA-enhanced sponge bioerosion, but that the long-term persistence of reef habitat may benefit from reduced sponge bioerosion under late century OA scenarios.

Coral cores collected nearby the Atlantic Ocean Acidification Test-bed (AOAT) at La Parguera, Puerto Rico were used to characterize the relationship between paleo-variations in coral growth and calcification and seawater pH via the boron isotope proxy. This study addressed impacts of ocean acidification in a geological context to quantify baseline variability in growth and pH and assess the historical response of coral ecosystems to increased atmospheric CO2 and enhance on-going AOAT observations.

The data described here comes from a study comparing reef habitat alteration along an upwelling gradient in the eastern Tropical Pacific from 2015-08-21 to 2019-04-05. Standardized blocks of clean, massive Porites were placed at six reef sites in the eastern tropical Pacific, in the strongly and more weakly upwelling Gulfs of Panama (GoP) and Chiriqui (GoC), respectively. Sites were instrumented with HOBO Pro v2 temperature loggers and SAMI-CO2 pCO2 loggers to characterize the unique thermal and carbonate-chemistry conditions of each gulf (see temperatureDataSubmission.xlsx and co2DataSubmission.xlsx in data package). Satellite products were used to examine differences in sea-surface productivity (see chlorophylDataSubmission.xlsx in data package) and surveys were conducted to quantify the abundance of important grazing taxa, such as parrotfish and urchins, found within the study sites (see parrotDataSubmission.xlsx and urchinDataSubmission.xlsx in data package). After two years in situ, the Porites blocks were collected and scanned using high-resolution computed tomography (CT) to volumetrically quantify both endolithic and epilithic habitat alteration (see carbonateDataSubmission.xlsx in data package). Scan-volumes were further classified into functional groups according to morphology to quantify external bioerosion by fish and sea urchins, as well as the calcifying and bioeroding activity of crustose coralline algae, scleractinian corals, mollusks, annelids, and barnacles (see coverDataSubmission.xlsx in data package).

Data from Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Buoys provide a time series of surface water temperature at coral reef sites. The SST buoy (Model OTR-200 B solar-rechargeable buoy, Ocean Trek Research (OTR), www.oceantrekresearch.com) with external temperature recorder (Sea-Bird Model SBE39, Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., www.seabird.com) telemeters hourly temperature and daily GPS position and buoy status data in Near Real Time (NRT) via an INMARSAT D+ SAT101 Satellite Modem and internally records higher resolution temperature data from the SBE39, typically at a 600 second sampling interval for a duration of 2 years. This record refers to the internally recorded (high resolution in situ) SBE39 temperature data. When a SST buoy is recovered, a new one is typically deployed in the same place. Time series data combining multiple deployments from a given site may also be available. Please contact CRED with any questions. For program information see the web site https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/coral-reefs-pacific

Data from Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Buoys provide a time series of surface water temperature at coral reef sites. The SST buoy (Model SST-001, Sound Ocean Systems, Inc., www.soundocean.com/index.htm) with external temperature recorder (Sea-Bird Model SBE39, Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., www.seabird.com) telemeters a subset of the daily data in Near Real Time (NRT) via a Telonics ST-13 or ST-20 ARGOS PPT transmitter and internally records higher resolution temperature data from the SBE39, typically at a 600 second sampling interval for a duration of 2 years. This record refers to the internally recorded (high resolution in situ) SBE39 temperature data. When a SST buoy is recovered, a new one is typically deployed in the same place. Time series data combining multiple deployments from a given site may also be available. Please contact CRED with any questions. For program information see the web site https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/coral-reefs-pacific

These data are from the article “Seasonal carbonate chemistry dynamics on southeast Florida coral reefs: localized acidification hotspots from navigational inlets” published in Frontiers in Marine Science. The data in this package were collected from inlets and reefs along the coast of Southeast Florida. Water was collected bi-monthly from four reefs (Oakland Ridge, Barracuda, Pillars, and Emerald) and three closely-associated inlets (Port Everglades, Bakers Haulover, and Port of Miami). Water samples were collected at these locations either at the surface (~1m depth) or immediately above the benthos measured using a rosette sampler (ECO 55, Seabird). Temperature was recorded at each depth using a CTD (SBE 19V2, Seabird). Turbidity (NTU) was measured at time of water collection. Once collected, water samples were transferred to borosilicate glass bottles, samples were fixed using 200 µL of HgCl2 and sealed using Apiezon grease and a glass stopper. Salinity was measured using a densitometer (DMA 5000M, Anton Paar), while total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) were determined using Apollo SciTech instruments (AS-ALK2 and AS-C3, respectively). All values were measured in duplicate and corrected using certified reference materials following recommendations in Dickson et al. (2007). Aragonite saturation state (ΩArag.), Calcite saturation state (ΩCa), pH (Total scale), and the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) were calculated with CO2SYS (Lewis and Wallace, 1998) using the dissociation constants of Mehrbach et al. (1973) as refit by Dickson and Millero (1987) and Dickson (1990). Water samples were reserved for nutrient analyzed at time of collection to determine Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, and fluorescence of Chlorophyll-a. This research was supported through NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.

Data from Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Buoys provide a time series of surface water temperature at coral reef sites. The SST buoy (Model SST-001, Sound Ocean Systems, Inc., www.soundocean.com) with external temperature recorder (Sea-Bird Model SBE39, Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., www.seabird.com) telemeters a subset of the daily data in Near Real Time (NRT) via a Telonics ST-13 or ST-20 ARGOS PPT transmitter and internally records higher resolution temperature data from the SBE39, typically at a 600 second sampling interval for a duration of 2 years. This record refers to the internally recorded (high resolution in situ) SBE39 temperature data. When a SST buoy is recovered, a new one is typically deployed in the same place. Time series data combining multiple deployments from a given site may also be available. Please contact CRED with any questions. For program information see the web site https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/coral-reefs-pacific

Data from Coral Reef Ecosystem Division (CRED), NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Buoys provide a time series of surface water temperature at coral reef sites. The SST buoy (Model SST-001, Sound Ocean Systems, Inc., www.soundocean.com/index.htm) with external temperature recorder (Sea-Bird Model SBE39, Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., www.seabird.com) telemeters a subset of the daily data in Near Real Time (NRT) via a Telonics ST-13 or ST-20 ARGOS PPT transmitter and internally records higher resolution temperature data from the SBE39, typically at a 600 second sampling interval for a duration of 2 years. This record refers to the internally recorded (high resolution in situ) SBE39 temperature data. When a SST buoy is recovered, a new one is typically deployed in the same place. Time series data combining multiple deployments from a given site may also be available. Please contact CRED with any questions. For program information see the web site https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pacific-islands/ecosystems/coral-reefs-pacific