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    • National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Calcification Rates of Crustose Coralline Algae Derived from Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) Deployed at Cheeca Rocks in the Florida Keys from 2014 to 2017

    Metadata Updated: May 24, 2025

    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 the Florida Keys in 2014 and 2017 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 3 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.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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    Dates

    Metadata Date May 15, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date May 24, 2025
    Reference Date(s) 2018 (creation), 2022-07 (revision), 2022 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

    Other Data Resources

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Dataset
    Metadata Date May 15, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 19, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date May 24, 2025
    Reference Date(s) 2018 (creation), 2022-07 (revision), 2022 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:53204
    Access Constraints Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Calcification Rates of Crustose Coralline Algae Derived from Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) Deployed at Cheeca Rocks in the Florida Keys from 2014 to 2017 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/53204., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: Please cite NOAA's PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division and AOML Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division when using the data. Suggested Citation: Ecosystem Sciences Division at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab (2018). National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Calcification Rates of Crustose Coralline Algae Derived from Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) Deployed at Cheeca Rocks in the Florida Keys from 2014 to 2017. NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/53204, Distribution Liability: While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.
    Bbox East Long -80.60796
    Bbox North Lat 24.90748
    Bbox South Lat 24.89748
    Bbox West Long -80.61796
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update asNeeded
    Harvest Object Id 2332b5e4-62d2-4ccf-a9ff-a35f204c0be2
    Harvest Source Id c0beac72-5f43-4455-8c33-1b345fbc2dfe
    Harvest Source Title NMFS PIFSC
    Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
    Lineage Assembled calcification accretion units (CAUs) are attached to the benthos using stainless steel threaded rods. Five CAUs are deployed in roughly 15m depths at permanent monitoring sites established by the Ocean Chemistry and Ecosystems Division at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML). Calcareous organisms, primarily crustose coralline algae and encrusting corals, recruit to these CAUs and accrete/calcify carbonate skeletons over 3 year deployments. Once recovered from the seafloor, the CAUs are processed to provide estimates of net calcification. CAUs have been deployed and replaced at existing, long-term monitoring sites during National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) cruises, in accordance with protocols developed by Price et al. 2012.
    Metadata Language eng
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-80.61796, 24.89748], [-80.60796, 24.89748], [-80.60796, 24.90748], [-80.61796, 24.90748], [-80.61796, 24.89748]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 2014-03-15
    Temporal Extent End 2017-03-29

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