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.

The data in this package include coral colony size and condition data collected as part of the Guam Long-term Coral Reef Monitoring Program (GLTMP). The monitoring team assesses all coral colonies found within quadrats placed every five meters along 25 m transects (although note that transects of different lengths have been used). Quadrat size is 0.25 sq m for most sites; a larger quadrat size (0.75 sq m) is used for the Western Shoals and Fouha Bay sites. Collected data include measurements of coral colony length and width as well as an assessment of condition (percent old mortality, percent new mortality, disease/condition type and severity), with identification to species level when possible. These data were collected using a split-panel sampling approach, whereby a mix of permanent and non-permanent sampling stations (one sampling station = one transect) are visited within each site. The location of coral colony survey quadrats at permanent sampling stations are marked using masonry nails, facilitating the near-identical positioning of quadrats during subsequent visits. However, the identical re-positioning of some quadrats could not be attained during subsequent visits due to the failure to re-locate the nails. The monitoring sites represent high priority reef areas selected by an advisory body comprised of reef managers, researchers, and technicians. The sites were not selected randomly from around the island and thus should not be considered representative of reef condition at the island-scale. While the general location of the sites were selected based on management priority, the site boundaries were delineated using bathymetry and benthic habitat data within ArcGIS; the locations of the sampling stations were generated randomly within each site’s boundaries using ArcGIS.

Staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is a threatened species and the primary focus of western Atlantic reef-restoration efforts to date. As part of the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies project (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/), scientists investigated skeletal characteristics of nursery-grown staghorn coral reared using two commonly used grow-out methods at Mote Tropical Research Laboratory’s offshore nursery. USGS staff compared linear extension, calcification rate, and skeletal density of nursery-raised A. cervicornis branches reared for six months either on blocks attached to substratum or hanging from monofilament line (on PVC “trees”) in the water column. The results demonstrated that branches grown on the substratum had significantly higher skeletal density, measured using computerized tomography (CT), and lower linear extension rates compared to water-column fragments. Calcification rates determined with buoyant weighing were not statistically different between the two grow-out methods, but did vary among coral genotypes. Whereas skeletal density and extension rates were plastic traits that depended on environment, the calcification rate was conserved. Results show that the two rearing methods generate the same amount of calcium-carbonate skeleton but produce colonies with different skeletal characteristics, and suggest that genetically based variability in coral-calcification performance exists. The data resulting from this experiment are provided in this data release and are interpreted in Kuffner et al. (2017).

This dataset contains geospatial data from spatial predictive models that were developed for 22 deep-sea coral and sponge (DSCS) taxa within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) from depths of 100-3,500 m. It includes raster datasets at 360 x 360 m spatial resolution depicting the predicted probability of occurrence for each of these taxa and a raster dataset at 360 x 360 m spatial resolution depicting the predicted taxonomic richness. These predictions provide a baseline for the potential distribution of these vulnerable and ecologically significant communities in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI), and will support management planning, permitting, exploration and sanctuary designation efforts by the Monument. The data collection also includes raster datasets at 360 x 360 m spatial resolution depicting each of the 44 spatial environmental predictor variables considered for fitting the models.

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.