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.

Combining real-time measurements of acidity and calcification, and long-term records from coral skeletons to provide an understanding of how ocean acidity is affecting the marine envrionment and the role of coral reefs in biffering the oceans capacity to absorb greenhouse gas emissions.

The AOAT project is engaged in monitoring/modeling efforts designed to: a) establish methodologies for monitoring, assessing, and modeling the impacts of Ocean Acidification (OA) on coral reef ecosystems, b) identify critical thresholds, impacts, and trends necessary for developing forecasts, c) characterize the variability in carbonate chemistry in coral reef environments, and d) provide data and information needed to inform ecological impact forecasting. Existing projections of OA on coral reef ecosystems (e.g. Silverman et al., 2009) make a core assumption that secular declines in carbonate mineral saturation state (O, a key parameter of OA interest) are equivalent to those experienced in the oceanic surface waters. Sustained observations at the AOAT, however, reveal considerable complexity and diverge from neighboring oceanic waters during most periods. Seasonal ranges in O-values exceed those anticipated as aconsequence of OA over the next several decades. Complexities within near-reef waters are likely the norm and we seek to better model the primary controls on near-reef carbonate chemistry. The AOAT has served as a critical venue to foster research from other agency and academic partners towards the development of techniques which can be applied to monitor OA within reef environments and quantify the local feedbacks that can alter rates and magnitude.

This archive package contains long-term calcification data from coral cores extracted from La Parguera Reef in Puerto Rico as part of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program’s (CRCP’s) National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). Corals annually form bands within their skeletons that manifest as high-density lines perpendicular to their growth axes. By precisely measuring the spacing and density of these bands, scientists can obtain a record of linear extension and skeletal density, respectively. Linear extension and skeletal density are, in turn, used to calculate annual calcification. Cores are collected by diver, underwater, using a pneumatic drill rig. Once removed, the small (~5 cm diameter) lesions are plugged with epoxy, and the resulting cores are analyzed using computed tomography (CT). Coral core data included herein were collected at long-term monitoring sites by the Acidification Calcification and Coral Reef Ecosystems Team (ACCRETE), based at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML).

Coral fragments from three presumed genotypes of Orbicella faveolata and two presumed genotypes of Montastraea cavernosa collected from the field were monitored over the course of one month in one of four treatments in experimental aquaria at the University of Miami: healthy sediment, disease contact control, communal diseased sediment, acute diseased sediment. Time to transmission of disease in days and gross symptoms of disease transmission were recorded during the observation period and are included in this dataset. Images of the corals used to aid in assessment are not included in this data package.

We evaluated the influence of diurnal carbonate chemistry variability on the bioerosion rates of two Caribbean sponges: the zooxanthellate Cliona varians and azooxanthellate Cliothosa delitrix. Sponge samples were exposed to four precisely-controlled pH treatments: contemporary static (8.05 ± 0.00; mean pH ± diurnal pH oscillation), contemporary variable (8.05 ± 0.10), future OA static (7.80 ± 0.00), and future OA variable (7.80 ± 0.10). Tank pH conditions measured throughout the entirety of the experiment are provided in the "fullExperiment_pHData.xlsx" file. Significantly enhanced bioerosion rates, determined using buoyant weight measurements, were observed under more variable conditions in both the contemporary and OA scenarios for C. varians, whereas the same effect was only apparent under contemporary pH conditions for C. delitrix. Buoyant weight data is provided in the "Buoyant_Weight_Data_Submission.xlsx" file.

This dataset contains carbonate chemistry data collected at both random locations and existing long-term sites in the Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, Flower Garden Banks and Southeast Florida as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). These data are collected and analyzed to assess spatial and temporal variation in the seawater carbonate systems of coral reef ecosystems and include two types of sampling methods. The first method is collected by hand or niskin at the surface, either from the boat or by SCUBA divers. The second method uses subsurface autosamplers where water samples provided in this dataset were collected at a depth of approximately 15m. Samples are either collected singularly or as part of a diurnal set. The samples are processed by the Atlantic Oceanographic Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) where they are analyzed for total alkalinity (TA), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and Spectrophotometric pH. Using the analyzed TA and DIC, alongside temperature, salinity and depth data, AOML staff calculated other important carbonate chemistry system parameters such as pH, pCO2, and aragonite saturation and reported the results in this dataset.