MCR LTER: Coral Reef: Water Column nutrient data in lagoons of Moorea, French Polynesia

Nutrients are important for ecosystem structure and community dynamics. To quantify fine-scale patterns of variation in water column nutrients in tropical lagoon ecosystems, nitrite + nitrate, phosphate, and silicate were quantified from water column samples collected in lagoons around Moorea, French Polynesia during April-May starting in 2021 using flow injection with an automated ion analyzer. Over the first three years, water column nitrite + nitrate and silicate were higher in bays and fringing reef habitats, and phosphate was higher in bays.