Data from: Occurrence and accumulation of heavy metals in algal turf particulates and sediments on coral reefs

This data record contains data associated with the publication:Tebbett SB, Bellwood DR, Johnson ER, Chase TJ (2022) Occurrence and accumulation of heavy metals in algal turf particulates and sediments on coral reefs. Marine Pollution Bulletin 184:114113. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114113In this study we used vacuum sampling to collect particulates/sediments trapped in algal turfs at Orpheus Island and Lizard Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Two study sites were sampled at each site, and all sampling occurred between March and May 2019. Sampling was conducted on the shallow water (0-5 m below chart datum) habitat stretching from the crest to the mid-flat. Collected particulate samples were processed to yield total inorganic sediment mass and organic particulate mass. Inorganic sediment samples were then analysed to determine the micrograms of heavy metal contaminant per gram of sample through nitric acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The CSV file in this dataset contains the raw data analysed in this paper, including the length of the algal turfs sampled (in mm), the dry mass (all in g m^-2) of all particulates, inorganic sediments, and organic particulates in the algal turfs sampled, and the relative mass (all in µg g^-1 of dry sediment) of the 15 metals analysed in this study.For full methodological details, please see the published manuscript (outlined above)