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Calcification Rates of Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA) Derived from Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites in Timor-Leste from 2012 to 2014

Metadata Updated: March 16, 2024

The calcification rate data described here are derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) that were retrieved from fixed climate survey sites located in coral reef habitats during the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) led United States Agency for International Development (USAID) mission to Timor-Leste in 2014. 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 changes 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 2 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.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Date February 29, 2024
Metadata Created Date August 19, 2022
Metadata Updated Date March 16, 2024
Reference Date(s) 2022-07 (revision), 2017 (publication)
Frequency Of Update asNeeded

Metadata Source

Harvested from NMFS PIFSC

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Date February 29, 2024
Metadata Created Date August 19, 2022
Metadata Updated Date March 16, 2024
Reference Date(s) 2022-07 (revision), 2017 (publication)
Responsible Party (Point of Contact, Custodian)
Contact Email
Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:46162
Access Constraints Cite As: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Calcification Rates of Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA) Derived from Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites in Timor-Leste from 2012 to 2014 [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/46162., Access Constraints: None, Use Constraints: Please cite PIFSC Ecosystem Sciences Division (ESD) when using the data. Suggested Citation: Ecosystem Sciences Division; Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (2017). Calcification Rates of Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA) Derived from Calcification Accretion Units (CAUs) Deployed at Coral Reef Sites in Timor-Leste from 2012 to 2014. NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/46162., 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 127.31222
Bbox North Lat -8.22441
Bbox South Lat -8.85329
Bbox West Long 125.01327
Coupled Resource
Frequency Of Update asNeeded
Harvest Object Id 2aa5deb0-075b-4d63-be07-19947d4f3268
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 NOAA Fisheries, Ecosystem Sciences Division. 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": [[[125.01327, -8.85329], [127.31222, -8.85329], [127.31222, -8.22441], [125.01327, -8.22441], [125.01327, -8.85329]]]}
Progress completed
Spatial Data Service Type
Spatial Reference System
Spatial Harvester True
Temporal Extent Begin 2012-10-15
Temporal Extent End 2014-10-09

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