Underwater temperature at Buck Island Reef National Monument coral reefs, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Underwater temperature at Buck Island Reef National Monument coral reefs, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Abstract:
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coral Reef Ecosystems Studies (CREST) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/crest/) provides science that helps resource managers tasked with the stewardship of coral reef resources. This data release provides underwater temperature data recorded every fifteen minutes since 2019 at three coral reef locations in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The sites are on the fringing reef of the National Park Service’s Buck Island Reef National Monument: Northwest Reef (NWR), Northeast Reef ('NER', also known as ‘Scuba Cut’), and South Forereef (SFR) and were the subject of related studies on reefs protecting shorelines published in Kuffner and others (2022) and Toth and others (2023). Measurements were made from June 2019 to October 2024. Temperatures were recorded with Onset® HOBO® Water Temp Pro V2 (U22-001) data loggers, in duplicate, at each site. Loggers were attached to concrete blocks fixed to the reef with stainless-steel rods and epoxy at depths of 7 to 13 feet (ft) of seawater.
Supplemental_Information:
Scientific research permits: The data were collected under the Buck Island Reef National Monument permits: BUIS-2019-SCI-0004 and BUIS-2023-SCI-0002; accession number BUIS-127. To ensure that USGS-St. Petersburg data management protocols were followed, each survey was assigned the following USGS field activity number (FAN): 2019-368-FA, 2020-308-FA, 2021-309-FA, 2021-324-FA, 2023-303-FA, 2023-331-FA, 2024-305-FA, 2024-324-FA. Additional survey and data details are available from the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System (CMGDS) at, https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Kuffner, Ilsa B., Stathakopoulos, Anastasios, Ewen, Kristen A., and Brennan, Rachel N., 20260211, Underwater temperature at Buck Island Reef National Monument coral reefs, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands:.

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Kuffner, Ilsa B., Stathakopoulos, Anastasios, Ewen, Kristen A., and Brennan, Rachel N., 20260211, Underwater Temperature at Buck Island Reef National Monument Coral Reefs, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/P14HBYNX, U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -64.62122
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -64.61143
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 17.79081
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 17.78408
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 22-Jun-2019
    Ending_Date: 30-Oct-2024
    Currentness_Reference:
    ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.csv, STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.xlsx
    This file contains attribute information for the coral underwater temperature dataset collected from Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, from June 2019 to October 2024. When viewing STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.csv, please note that empty fields (sites where no temperature values were recorded) are not represented by any characters in this CSV file, thus one only sees the separator commas ",". To view the data in a tab-delimited format arranged by column, please use the XLSX file. (Source: USGS)
    Time, GMT-04:00
    Site-specific date and time information downloaded from the HOBO® Water Temp Pro V2 data loggers. Dates are expressed in MM/DD/YYYY format; times are presented in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) minus four hours HH:MM format. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:06/22/2019 09:30
    Maximum:10/30/2024 12:15
    Date
    Date, in MM/DD/YYYY format. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:06/22/2019
    Maximum:10/30/2024
    Time
    Time, in HH:MM format. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:00:00
    Maximum:23:45
    NWR
    Underwater temperature (degrees Celsius) at Northwest Reef (17.79081°N, 64.62122°W) in approximately 12 feet of seawater, data from June 2019 to October 2024. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:25.647
    Maximum:31.740
    Units:degrees Celsius
    NER
    Underwater temperature (degrees Celsius) at Northeast Reef (17.78967°N, 64.61143°W) in approximately 13 feet of seawater, data from June 2019 to October 2024. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:25.854
    Maximum:31.586
    Units:degrees Celsius
    SFR
    Underwater temperature (degrees Celsius) at South Forereef (17.78408°N, 64.61416°W) in approximately 13 feet of seawater, data from June 2019 to October 2024. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:25.854
    Maximum:31.868
    Units:degrees Celsius

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Ilsa B. Kuffner
    • Anastasios Stathakopoulos
    • Kristen A. Ewen
    • Rachel N. Brennan
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Ilsa B. Kuffner
    U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    600 4th Street South
    Saint Petersburg, FL
    U.S.A.

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    ikuffner@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Data were obtained to assess the dynamic, underwater temperature environment experienced by coral reef organisms. These data will be used to ground truth sea-surface temperatures measured by satellites, improve hydrodynamic and heat-transfer models, and to inform conservation and management decisions.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 30-Oct-2024 (process 1 of 1)
    Temperature data were recorded with Onset® HOBO® Water Temp Pro V2 (U22-001) data loggers, in duplicate, at each site from 06/22/2019 – 10/30/2024 (except during 09/08/2022 – 03/07/2023 when instruments were not deployed). Loggers were attached to concrete blocks fixed to the reef with stainless-steel rods and epoxy at depths of 7 to 13 ft of seawater according to Morrison and others (2013). The 15-minute interval temperature data reported are the means of two loggers approximately 30 to 50 ft apart and within 1 to 3 ft in depth from one another. All loggers were placed at the same height above the substratum (approximately 2 to 4 inches). Every six to twelve months, using a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), new loggers were carried underwater by divers at the USGS or National Park Service and swapped with the old loggers such that there was always an overlapping time segment when all four loggers were underwater (also known as, "hot-swapped"). In rare cases when one logger was lost or damaged during deployment, the temperature from a single logger is reported. Data were compiled in a comma-separated values file (CSV) and Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (XLSX) and are included in the STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.zip file of this data release.
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Morrison, J.M., Kuffner, I.B., and Hickey, T.D., 2013, Methods for monitoring corals and crustose coralline algae to quantify in-situ calcification rates: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2013-1159, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 11 pages
    Kuffner, I.B., Stathakopoulos, A., Ewen, K.A., Hanna Holloway, N, Lyons, E.O., Bartlett, L.A., Pollock, C.G., and Hillis-Starr, Z., 20220920, Experimental coral-growth rates and time-series imagery data for Acropora palmata and Pseudodiploria strigosa in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/P94BOI9T, U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Online Links:

    Toth, L.T., Storlazzi, C.D., I.B., Kuffner, Quataert, E., Reyns, J., McCall, R., Stathakopoulos, A., Hillis-Starr, Z., Hanna Holloway, N., Ewen, K.A., Pollock, C.G., Code, T., and Aronson, R.B., 20230421, The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise: Nature Communications Volume 14, Number 2313.

    Online Links:

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The data-logger manufacturer (Onset Brands, Bourne, MA, U.S.A.) reports accuracy: ±0.21°Celsius (C) from 0° to 50°C (±0.38°Fahrenheit [F] from 32° to 122°F. In 2021, a temperature-accuracy check was added to the logger-launch protocol using a 0°C-degree ice-bath as described on the Onset website (https://www.onsetcomp.com/resources/tech-notes/quick-temp-accuracy-check-ice-bath). In doing so, no loggers have been found outside of the reported specifications.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    At each site, loggers were deployed in duplicate. In rare cases when one logger was lost or damaged during deployment, the temperature from a single logger is reported. Instruments were not deployed from September 8, 2022, to March 7, 2023. Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints No access constraints. Please see 'Distribution Information' for details.
Use_Constraints These data are marked with a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal License. These data are in the public domain and do not have any use constraints. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management
    600 4th Street South
    Saint Petersburg, FL
    United States

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.csv, STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.xlsx
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 09-Feb-2026
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management
600 4th Street South
Saint Petersburg, FL
United States

727-502-8000 (voice)
gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/spcmsc/STX_coral_underwater_temps_metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Tue Feb 10 13:58:32 2026