National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Erosion data from bioerosion monitoring units (BMUs) deployed at select U.S. coral reef sites in the Atlantic Ocean

The erosion rates provided in this collection were collected from bioerosion monitoring units (BMUs) retrieved at existing long-term monitoring sites during NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) Coral Program led NCRMP missions around U.S. coral reefs sites in the Atlantic Ocean.

This collection of data contains BMU data from permanent long-term monitoring sites at U.S. coral reef sites in the Atlantic Ocean that were analyzed at NOAAâs Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP). BMUs are constructed from clean coral skeletons and left on the reef for a period of 3 years. BMUs are CT scanned for changes in density, volume and mass in which rates of bioerosion can be assessed using Amira analysis software (FEI). Annual erosion and accretion rates can be determined from these data in terms of loss of reef structure volume as well as mass in grams of calcium carbonate. Accretion rates given in this dataset were determined by finding the volume of non-original carbonate material found on the external surface of the BMUs divided by the number of years the BMU was deployed on the reef. These rates can detect accretion signals when calcifying organisms, such as corals or algae, have grown on their exteriors. Rates of macroboring were determined by changes in the internal volume of the BMUs (e.g., that removed by bore holes) divided by the number of years the BMU was deployed on the reef. Macroboring can occur from eroders such as, clionaid sponges, annelids and other macroboring fauna.

Tags: 0xkrch, 1g51lc, 743, amira analysis software, amira analysis software (fei), aoml, aoml small boat, aoml small boats, atlantic ocean, atlantic oceanographic and meteorological laboratory, bh89rk, bioerosion, bioerosion monitoring unit, biosphere, bmu, bmu - bioerosion monitoring unit, buck island, buck island (south) (17n064w0005), c9jtxn, caribbean sea, caribbean sea /north atlantic ocean, cheeca rocks (24n080w0009), coastal processes, contractor small boat, coral reefs, corals, country/territory, ct scan machine, dry tortugas, dry tortugas (24n082w0001), earth science, east flower garden banks (27n093w0001), erosion, florida, florida keys (24n081w0007), florida reef tract, florida reef tract (26n080w0007), flower garden banks, great pond bay (17n064w0018), gulf of mexico, in situ physical, jrdhmx, leeward islands, lesser antilles, m9g34x, monroe county, national coral reef monitoring program, national coral reef monitoring program (ncrmp), north atlantic ocean, nps small boat, nu22r9, numeric data sets, ocean basin, oceanography, oceans, puerto rico, puerto rico (18n066w0000), r/v angari, r/v manta, reef monitoring and assessment, salt river bay (17n064w0022), scleractinia (stony corals), st. croix, st. croix (17n064w0003), st. john, st. john (18n064w0011), st. thomas, st. thomas (18n064w0033), tdn21f, texas, u. s. virgin islands, u. s. virgin islands (17n064w0000), united states of america, upper florida keys, upper florida keys (24n080w0018), uvi small boats, virgin islands, west flower garden banks (27n093w0002), zoology
Organization: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce