National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Calcification Rates of Crustose Coralline Algae Derived from Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) Deployed at St. Croix from 2014 to 2019

Description

The calcification rate data described here are from calcification accretion units (CAUs) that have been retrieved (and replaced) at existing, long-term monitoring sites during the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) led NCRMP missions around St. Croix in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019 and processed at the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. CAUs are PVC settlement plates that facilitate the recruitment and colonization of crustose coralline algae, hard corals, and other reef calcifiers. Laboratory experiments show that CCA and coral calcification rates are strongly correlated with seawater chemistry, and shifts in carbonate chemistry conditions due to ocean acidification could lead to reduced calcification and accretion rates and ecological phase shifts in coral reef communities. Coral reef calcium carbonate accretion rates can be estimated by measuring the change in weight of the CAUs between deployment and retrieval. Monitoring net accretion over successive deployments allows for the detection of changes in reef calcification rates over time. Five units were deployed on the seafloor at each CAU site for 4 years. The number of processed CAUs for a site may be less than the number deployed, either because the units were lost or damaged at sea and therefore not recovered, or in rare instances, due to errors during laboratory processing. This study provides information about spatial and temporal patterns of reef carbonate calcification and accretion rates and serves as a basis for detecting changes associated with changing seawater chemistry due to ocean acidification. These data can also be used in comparative analyses across natural gradients, thereby assisting efforts to determine whether key reef-building taxa can acclimatize to changing oceanographic environments. These data will have immediate, direct impacts on predictions of reef resilience in a higher carbon dioxide (CO2) world and on the design of reef management strategies.

Resources

Name Format Description Link
0 Calcification rate data derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed at a reef off of Salt River Bay (north), St. Croix in 2014, recovered in 2018, and processed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260243
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/67513
0 Website listed for Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/
0 Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) Assembly, Deployment, and Recovery Standard Operating Procedure (2015). https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) Laboratory Analysis Standard Operating Procedure (2015). https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Ecosystem Sciences Division official website, Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP) page. http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/pacific_ramp.php
0 Online Resource https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26641885
0 Online Resource https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/pacific-islands#science
0 Online Resource https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2024. GCMD Keywords, Version 19. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/67513.pdf
0 Calcification rate data derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed at a site off Sprat Hole (west), Salt River Bay (north), Great Pond Bay (South), and the east peninsula (east) in St. Croix in 2015, recovered in 2019, and processed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260244
0 Quality control report generated for recovered CAU data from a site off of Salt River Bay (north), St. Croix by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) during Atlantic NCRMP in 2018. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260243
0 Quality control report generated for recovered CAU data from a reef site off Sprat Hole (west), Salt River Bay (north), Great Pond Bay (South), and the east peninsula (east) in St. Croix by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) during Atlantic NCRMP in 2019. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260244
0 Quality control report generated for recovered CAU data from a site off of Salt River Bay (north), St. Croix by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) during Atlantic NCRMP in 2018. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260243
0 Calcification rate data derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed at a reef off of Salt River Bay (north), St. Croix in 2014, recovered in 2018, and processed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260243
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/67513
0 Website listed for Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/
0 Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) Assembly, Deployment, and Recovery Standard Operating Procedure (2015). https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) Laboratory Analysis Standard Operating Procedure (2015). https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Ecosystem Sciences Division official website, Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP) page. https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/pacific_ramp.php
0 Online Resource https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26641885
0 Online Resource https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/pacific-islands#science
0 Online Resource https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2024. GCMD Keywords, Version 19. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/67513.pdf
0 Quality control report generated for recovered CAU data from a reef site off Sprat Hole (west), Salt River Bay (north), Great Pond Bay (South), and the east peninsula (east) in St. Croix by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) during Atlantic NCRMP in 2019. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260244
0 Calcification rate data derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed at a site off Sprat Hole (west), Salt River Bay (north), Great Pond Bay (South), and the east peninsula (east) in St. Croix in 2015, recovered in 2019, and processed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260244
0 Calcification rate data derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed at a site off Sprat Hole (west), Salt River Bay (north), Great Pond Bay (South), and the east peninsula (east) in St. Croix in 2015, recovered in 2019, and processed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260244
0 Quality control report generated for recovered CAU data from a site off of Salt River Bay (north), St. Croix by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) during Atlantic NCRMP in 2018. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260243
0 Quality control report generated for recovered CAU data from a reef site off Sprat Hole (west), Salt River Bay (north), Great Pond Bay (South), and the east peninsula (east) in St. Croix by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) during Atlantic NCRMP in 2019. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260244
0 Calcification rate data derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed at a reef off of Salt River Bay (north), St. Croix in 2014, recovered in 2018, and processed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260243
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/67513
0 Website listed for Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/
0 Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) Assembly, Deployment, and Recovery Standard Operating Procedure (2015). https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) Laboratory Analysis Standard Operating Procedure (2015). https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Ecosystem Sciences Division official website, Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP) page. https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/pacific_ramp.php
0 Online Resource https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26641885
0 Online Resource https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/pacific-islands#science
0 Online Resource https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/67513.pdf
0 Calcification rate data derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed at a site off Sprat Hole (west), Salt River Bay (north), Great Pond Bay (South), and the east peninsula (east) in St. Croix in 2015, recovered in 2019, and processed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260244
0 Quality control report generated for recovered CAU data from a site off of Salt River Bay (north), St. Croix by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) during Atlantic NCRMP in 2018. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260243
0 Quality control report generated for recovered CAU data from a reef site off Sprat Hole (west), Salt River Bay (north), Great Pond Bay (South), and the east peninsula (east) in St. Croix by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) during Atlantic NCRMP in 2019. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260244
0 Calcification rate data derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed at a reef off of Salt River Bay (north), St. Croix in 2014, recovered in 2018, and processed by the PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division. https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0260243
0 View the complete metadata record on InPort for more information about this dataset. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/67513
0 Website listed for Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/
0 Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) Assembly, Deployment, and Recovery Standard Operating Procedure (2015). https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 Calcification Accretion Unit (CAU) Laboratory Analysis Standard Operating Procedure (2015). https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0157633
0 NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Ecosystem Sciences Division official website, Pacific Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (Pacific RAMP) page. https://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/pacific_ramp.php
0 Online Resource https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26641885
0 Online Resource https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/pacific-islands#science
0 Online Resource https://www.coris.noaa.gov/monitoring/
0 Global Change Master Directory (GCMD). 2025. GCMD Keywords, Version 22. Greenbelt, MD: Earth Science Data and Information System, Earth Science Projects Division, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). URL (GCMD Keyword Forum Page): https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD+Keywords https://forum.earthdata.nasa.gov/app.php/tag/GCMD%2BKeywords
33 NOAA Data Management Plan for this record on InPort. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/pifsc/dmp/pdf/67513.pdf

Tags

  • calcification
  • calcification plate
  • doc/noaa/nmfs/pifsc
  • united states of america
  • atlantic/caribbean
  • reef monitoring and assessment
  • aquatic habitat
  • virgin islands
  • corals
  • ocean chemistry
  • pifsc
  • biosphere
  • calcification accretion unit
  • national coral reef monitoring program
  • algal growth
  • oceans
  • ocean acidification
  • algae
  • coral reef conservation program
  • calcareous macroalgae
  • noaa
  • numeric data sets
  • algal cover
  • caribbean sea
  • lesser antilles
  • nmfs
  • us doc
  • ocean acidification program
  • u. s. virgin islands (17n064w0000)
  • great pond bay (south)
  • sprat hole (west)
  • in situ
  • atlantic ocean
  • settling plate
  • pacific islands fisheries science center
  • u.s. department of commerce
  • earth science
  • calcification rate
  • ncrmp
  • national marine fisheries service
  • triennial
  • vegetation
  • fleshy macroalgae
  • great pond bay (17n064w0018)
  • crustose coralline algae
  • salt river bay (17n064w0022)
  • carbonate chemistry
  • atlantic oceanographic and meteorological lab
  • encrusting macroalgae
  • east peninsula (east)
  • 743
  • reef habitat
  • ocean basin
  • ecosystem sciences division
  • esd
  • coastal processes
  • laboratory analyses
  • u.s. virgin islands
  • office of oceanic and atmospheric research
  • zoology
  • coral reefs
  • u. s. virgin islands
  • salt river bay (north)
  • aoml
  • country/territory
  • st. croix (17n064w0003)
  • calcification accretion unit (cau)
  • coral reef studies
  • st. croix

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