Ocean acidification (OA) is expected to reduce the calcification rates of marine organisms, yet we have little understanding of how OA will manifest within dynamic, real-world systems. Natural CO2, alkalinity, and salinity gradients can significantly alter local carbonate chemistry, and thereby create a range of susceptibility for different ecosystems to OA. As such, there is a need to characterize this natural variability of seawater carbonate chemistry, especially within coastal ecosystems. Since 2009, carbonate chemistry data have been collected on the Florida Reef Tract (FRT). During periods of heightened productivity, there is a net uptake of total CO2 (TCO2) which increases aragonite saturation state (Varag) values on inshore patch reefs of the upper FRT. These waters can exhibit greater Varag than what has been modeled for the tropical surface ocean during preindustrial times, with mean (6 std. error) Varag-values in spring=4.69 (60.101). Conversely, Varag-values on offshore reefs generally represent oceanic carbonate chemistries consistent with present day tropical surface ocean conditions. This gradient is opposite from what has been reported for other reef environments. We hypothesize this pattern is caused by the photosynthetic uptake of TCO2 mainly by seagrasses and, to a lesser extent, macroalgae in the inshore waters of the FRT. These inshore reef habitats are therefore potential acidification refugia that are defined not only in a spatial sense, but also in time; coinciding with seasonal productivity dynamics. Coral reefs located within or immediately downstream of seagrass beds may find refuge from OA.

Ocean Acidification Refugia of the Florida Reef Tract

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coral Reef Conservation Program supports the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP) in the United States Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. NCRMP conducts standardized observations of biological, climatic, and socioeconomic indicators across American Samoa, Guam, the Main Hawaiian Islands, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Pacific Remote Islands, Florida, the Flower Garden Banks, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. NCRMP provides periodic, national-level assessments of the status of United States coral reef ecosystems and communities connected to them. In 2014, NCRMP partnered with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science on an unprecedented collaboration between federal and jurisdictional/state agencies, academia, and non-governmental organizations to synthesize NCRMP data into a reporting format designed to be accessible and relevant to the public and policy makers. The process involved multi-year data analyses of key benthic, fish, and climate indicators. In populated jurisdictions, socioeconomic data were integrated to assess public support for management actions, participation in pro-environmental behaviors, and awareness of threats to coral reefs. Jurisdictions were scored using a report-card scale (0–100%) by establishing references for each indicator using best-available historical data or expert opinion where historical data did not exist or were not statistically comparable. Despite overall ecosystem scores of Fair for all combined Atlantic (70%) and Pacific (74%) jurisdictions, the current trend is downward with a majority of United States coral reefs declining and vulnerable to further degradation. Remote, uninhabited reefs had an advantage with respect to reef fish population scores, i.e., Flower Garden Banks (85%) and Pacific Remote Islands (93%), when compared to populated location scores, i.e., Puerto Rico (63%) and Main Hawaiian Islands (66%). All coral reefs are highly impacted by climate change, and climate impacts were more pronounced than expected on remote reefs, i.e., the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (58%). Presenting results in a report-card style facilitates communication to the public and policy makers, and provides a useful mechanism to garner support for management actions such as expanding protected areas; enforcing existing regulations; increasing climate change education; reducing land-based sources of pollution; and other actions to improve the trajectory of coral reef ecosystem conditions. 

/pdf/a-national-status-report-on-united-states-coral-reefs-based-3osvphos.pdf

A National Status Report on United States Coral Reefs Based on 2012–2018 Data From National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Coral Reef Monitoring Program

Stony corals of Pompano Ledge, First Reef, Broward County, Florida were sampled in situ using a new reef assessment method. The circular-radial method was used to assess the effectiveness of mooring buoys in reducing damage to reefs. Data will be part of a long-term monitoring study of·buoy impacts. The parameter of recent injury was used to provide preliminary information on buoy effectiveness.
Results were as follows: approximately 6% of the study area was covered by stony corals, with an average of 3 colonies per square meter. Diversity based on abundance (H'n) was 1 .7, and diversity based on relative coverage (H'c) was 1.1. Evenness based on abundance (J'n) was nearly .8, and evenness based on relative coverage (J' c) was .5. Approximately 6% of all colonies surveyed were observed under the shelter of ledges or overhangs. An average of 2% of colonies were observed to be recently injured in the Winter, compared with 6% in the Summer. Twenty-nine species of scleractinian corals were observed, 26 of which were present in sample areas. Montastrea cavernosa dominated stony coral coverage, and Siderastrea spp. and M. cavernosa were the most abundant.
Mooring buoys appear to be an effective management tool for minimizing damage to corals on Pompano Ledge. The percentage of corals that had been recently injured was lower in the buoyed site (p = .082) even though the buoyed site was more heavily visited by both boats and divers . Future studies will be able to further assess buoy impacts by noting any changes in coral population parameters. The buoys have only been in place two years, so it will be interesting to see if the coral communities of the two sites begin to diverge in the future .

A Survey of the Stony Coral Community Composition of Pompano Ledge, Broward County, Florida, with a Preliminary Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Mooring Buoys in Reducing Coral Damage

Assessment of Fishery Sustainability from Transitional Average Lengths

2020 Status Report Scoring Methodology for Atlantic Jurisdictions

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2020 Status Report Scoring Methodology for Atlantic Jurisdictions