Metadata: Identification_Information: Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: Ilsa B. Kuffner Originator: Anastasios Stathakopoulos Originator: Kristen A. Ewen Originator: Rachel N. Brennan Publication_Date: 20260211 Title: Underwater temperature at Buck Island Reef National Monument coral reefs, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data Larger_Work_Citation: Citation_Information: Originator: Ilsa B. Kuffner Originator: Anastasios Stathakopoulos Originator: Kristen A. Ewen Originator: Rachel N. Brennan Publication_Date: 20260211 Title: Underwater Temperature at Buck Island Reef National Monument Coral Reefs, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Series_Information: Series_Name: U.S. Geological Survey data release Issue_Identification: doi:10.5066/P14HBYNX Publication_Information: Publication_Place: St. Petersburg, Florida Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.5066/P14HBYNX Description: 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. Purpose: 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. 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/. Time_Period_of_Content: Time_Period_Information: Range_of_Dates/Times: Beginning_Date: 20190622 Ending_Date: 20241030 Currentness_Reference: ground condition Status: Progress: In work Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed Spatial_Domain: Bounding_Coordinates: West_Bounding_Coordinate: -64.62122 East_Bounding_Coordinate: -64.61143 North_Bounding_Coordinate: 17.79081 South_Bounding_Coordinate: 17.78408 Keywords: Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Metadata Identifier Theme_Keyword: USGS:10b7289d-885f-4cea-887d-a16179ee854e Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Thesaurus Theme_Keyword: coelenterates Theme_Keyword: aquatic biology Theme_Keyword: marine geology Theme_Keyword: reef ecosystems Theme_Keyword: sea surface temperature Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None Theme_Keyword: underwater temperature Theme_Keyword: coral reef Theme_Keyword: coral bleaching Theme_Keyword: SST Theme_Keyword: in situ temperature Theme: Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category Theme_Keyword: environment Theme_Keyword: geoscientificInformation Theme_Keyword: oceans Place: Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Geographic Names Information System Place_Keyword: United States Virgin Islands Place_Keyword: Saint Croix Island Place_Keyword: Caribbean Sea Place_Keyword: Buck Island Place: Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: Common geographic areas Place_Keyword: Buck Island Reef National Monument Stratum: Stratum_Keyword_Thesaurus: None Stratum_Keyword: seafloor Temporal: Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None Temporal_Keyword: Modern 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. Point_of_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Person_Primary: Contact_Person: Ilsa B. Kuffner Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical Address: 600 4th Street South City: Saint Petersburg State_or_Province: FL Postal_Code: 33701 Country: U.S.A. Contact_Voice_Telephone: 727-502-8000 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: ikuffner@usgs.gov Native_Data_Set_Environment: Environment as of Metadata Creation: Microsoft Windows 11 Enterprise Version 23H2 (Build 22631.6345); Microsoft Excel version 2501 (Build 16.0.19328.20266). Cross_Reference: Citation_Information: Originator: Morrison, J.M. Originator: Kuffner, I.B. Originator: Hickey, T.D. Publication_Date: 2013 Title: Methods for monitoring corals and crustose coralline algae to quantify in-situ calcification rates Series_Information: Series_Name: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report Issue_Identification: 2013-1159 Publication_Information: Publication_Place: Reston, Virginia Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey Other_Citation_Details: 11 pages Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20131159 Cross_Reference: Citation_Information: Originator: Kuffner, I.B. Originator: Stathakopoulos, A. Originator: Ewen, K.A. Originator: Hanna Holloway, N Originator: Lyons, E.O. Originator: Bartlett, L.A. Originator: Pollock, C.G. Originator: Hillis-Starr, Z. Publication_Date: 20220920 Title: Experimental coral-growth rates and time-series imagery data for Acropora palmata and Pseudodiploria strigosa in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Series_Information: Series_Name: U.S. Geological Survey data release Issue_Identification: doi:10.5066/P94BOI9T Publication_Information: Publication_Place: St. Petersburg, Florida Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.5066/P94BOI9T Cross_Reference: Citation_Information: Originator: Toth, L.T. Originator: Storlazzi, C.D. Originator: Kuffner I.B. Originator: Quataert, E. Originator: Reyns, J. Originator: McCall, R. Originator: Stathakopoulos, A. Originator: Hillis-Starr, Z. Originator: Hanna Holloway, N. Originator: Ewen, K.A. Originator: Pollock, C.G. Originator: Code, T. Originator: Aronson, R.B. Publication_Date: 20230421 Title: The potential for coral reef restoration to mitigate coastal flooding as sea levels rise Series_Information: Series_Name: Nature Communications Issue_Identification: Volume 14, Number 2313 Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37858-2 Data_Quality_Information: Attribute_Accuracy: Attribute_Accuracy_Report: 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. Logical_Consistency_Report: No formal logical accuracy tests were conducted. Completeness_Report: 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. Positional_Accuracy: Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy: Horizontal_Positional_Accuracy_Report: No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted. Vertical_Positional_Accuracy: Vertical_Positional_Accuracy_Report: No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted. Lineage: Process_Step: Process_Description: 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. Process_Date: 20241030 Entity_and_Attribute_Information: Detailed_Description: Entity_Type: Entity_Type_Label: STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.csv, STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.xlsx Entity_Type_Definition: 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. Entity_Type_Definition_Source: USGS Attribute: Attribute_Label: Time, GMT-04:00 Attribute_Definition: 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. Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS Attribute_Domain_Values: Range_Domain: Range_Domain_Minimum: 06/22/2019 09:30 Range_Domain_Maximum: 10/30/2024 12:15 Attribute: Attribute_Label: Date Attribute_Definition: Date, in MM/DD/YYYY format. Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS Attribute_Domain_Values: Range_Domain: Range_Domain_Minimum: 06/22/2019 Range_Domain_Maximum: 10/30/2024 Attribute: Attribute_Label: Time Attribute_Definition: Time, in HH:MM format. Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS Attribute_Domain_Values: Range_Domain: Range_Domain_Minimum: 00:00 Range_Domain_Maximum: 23:45 Attribute: Attribute_Label: NWR Attribute_Definition: 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. Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS Attribute_Domain_Values: Range_Domain: Range_Domain_Minimum: 25.647 Range_Domain_Maximum: 31.740 Attribute_Units_of_Measure: degrees Celsius Attribute: Attribute_Label: NER Attribute_Definition: 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. Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS Attribute_Domain_Values: Range_Domain: Range_Domain_Minimum: 25.854 Range_Domain_Maximum: 31.586 Attribute_Units_of_Measure: degrees Celsius Attribute: Attribute_Label: SFR Attribute_Definition: 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. Attribute_Definition_Source: USGS Attribute_Domain_Values: Range_Domain: Range_Domain_Minimum: 25.854 Range_Domain_Maximum: 31.868 Attribute_Units_of_Measure: degrees Celsius Distribution_Information: Distributor: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center Contact_Person: USGS SPCMSC Data Management Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical Address: 600 4th Street South City: Saint Petersburg State_or_Province: FL Postal_Code: 33701 Country: United States Contact_Voice_Telephone: 727-502-8000 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov Resource_Description: STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.csv, STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.xlsx Distribution_Liability: 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. Standard_Order_Process: Digital_Form: Digital_Transfer_Information: Format_Name: comma-delimited text, Microsoft Excel format Digital_Transfer_Option: Online_Option: Computer_Contact_Information: Network_Address: Network_Resource_Name: https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/data-release/doi-P14HBYNX/data/STX_coral_underwater_temps_to_Oct2024.zip Fees: None. No fees are applicable for obtaining the dataset. Metadata_Reference_Information: Metadata_Date: 20260209 Metadata_Contact: Contact_Information: Contact_Organization_Primary: Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center Contact_Person: USGS SPCMSC Data Management Contact_Address: Address_Type: mailing and physical Address: 600 4th Street South City: Saint Petersburg State_or_Province: FL Postal_Code: 33701 Country: United States Contact_Voice_Telephone: 727-502-8000 Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov Metadata_Standard_Name: Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998