National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Calcification rates of crustose coralline algae derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed in the Florida Reef Tract

The calcification rate data described here are from in-house developed calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed by scuba divers in the Florida Reef Tract, in accordance with protocols developed by Price et al.(2012), and as a part of NOAA's ongoing National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP).

CAUs allow for recruitment and colonization of Crustose Corraline Algae and hard corals. By measuring the change in weight of the CAUs, the reef carbonate accretion rate can be calculated for that time period. Monitoring net accretion over successive deployments allows for the detection of changes in calcification rates over time.

This study provides information about spatial patterns of algal 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.

本文所述的钙化速率数据，源自研究团队自研的钙化沉积单元（calcification accretion units, CAUs）。该单元由水肺潜水员部署于佛罗里达礁岛群海域，部署工作遵循Price等人（2012年）制定的实验方案，同时作为美国国家海洋和大气管理局（NOAA）正在推进的国家珊瑚礁监测计划（National Coral Reef Monitoring Program, NCRMP）的组成部分。
钙化沉积单元（CAUs）可为壳状珊瑚藻与硬珊瑚提供附着与定殖的生境。通过测定CAUs的重量变化，可计算出对应时段内的珊瑚礁碳酸盐沉积速率。对多次部署后的净沉积量进行监测，能够捕捉钙化速率随时间推移的变化趋势。
本研究提供了藻类钙化速率与沉积速率的空间分布格局相关数据，可为检测海洋酸化引发的海水化学变化所关联的生态改变提供研究基础。上述数据集还可用于跨自然环境梯度的比较分析，进而助力明确关键造礁类群能否适应变化的海洋环境。本数据集将对高二氧化碳（CO₂）背景下的珊瑚礁恢复力预测，以及珊瑚礁管理策略的制定产生直接且即时的重要影响。