Decision support tool to promote long-term survival of Acropora cervicornis on the Florida reef tract (NOAA Technical Report, OAR-AOML-53)

To maximize the long-term survival (>10 years) of nursery raised Acropora cervicornis corals, a map-based tool was created that ranks locations in the Florida Acropora Critical Habitat based on climate vulnerability. Climate vulnerability is defined both in terms of exposure to future heat stress and the coral’s sensitivity as resilience. Suitable sites are determined by a number of factors. Suitable sites must also be within the Acropora Critical Habitat and within the depth range of 5-15 meters, with either hard bottom or coral present. These possible locations are ranked based on projected climate change impacts and a resilience metric based on seven different indicators. These rankings are intended to guide managers of nurseries to outplant locations on a coarser scale. However, where to outplant in these regions should still be determined by the local, small-scale conditions at the substrate.