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Sheets
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SiteMetadataList of TCRMP sites with identifying information
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HealthCodesList of codes used in the TCRMP health dataset and what they mean
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DataValidationList of codes used for validation purposed in the "HealthDataRaw" tab - do not alter
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HealthDataRawRaw TCRMP coral health data
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Columns
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LocationMonitoring location at which data was collected
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SampleDateDate on which data was collected
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SampleYearMonitoring period in which data was collected; Note - Sample year may not always match the year from the SampleDate if a location was surveyed late in the annual monitoring period (i.e. data collected in January 2018 could be included in the 2017 annual monitoring period)
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SampleMonthMonth in which data was collected; Note - when a location was not surveyed fully in the same month, the month in which sampling began is used as the sample month
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PeriodRefers to the sample period in which the data falls; Periods are as follows: Annual (normal annual TCRMP sampling), PeakBL (secondary TCRMP sampling to capture peak bleaching due to thermal stress), PostBL (secondary sampling as a follow up to thermal stress), SCTLD (extra sampling points taken at a subsample of TCRMP locations to monitor the progression of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease), WS (samples taken at a subset of TCRMP locations [Black Point, Buck Island STT, Coculus Rock, Magens Bay, Botany Bay, Savana, Flat Cay, Seahorse Cottage Shoal] during research cruises aboard the R/V Walton Smith), and Juvenile (limited, modified surveys conducted to assess the presence of juvenile recruits)
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SampleTypeIndicates the type of transect (random or permanent) from which data was collected
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MethodIndicates the way in which data was collected (i.e. line intercept, belt transect, etc.)
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RecorderDiver who recorded the data
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TransectTransect number; Note - there are typically 6 transects per site, but additional transects may have been recorded
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SPPCoral identified to species; Note - if colony could not be identified to species, identification to genus is used
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SizeCoral colony size; Length is the maximum planar diameter, Width is perpendicular to length, Height is measured perpendicular to the plane of growth
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InteractionsRefers to other benthic entities interacting with living coral tissue. These include macroalgae (Dictyota, Lobophora, Halimeda, etc.), cyanobacteria, sponges, gorgonians, worms, sediment, and miscellaneous (i.e. other coral, zoanthids, etc). Value refers to the three dimensional proportion of the colony's living tissue affected. Exceptions are as follows: cyanobacteria (linear proportion of border contact), Cliona delitrix (CLIO, three dimensional proportion of the colony's skeletal structure with emergent oscula)
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PredationType and number of predators (i.e. damselfish, etc.) and corallivores (i.e. Coralliophila sp)
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NotesAdditional notes about the colony condition
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DamageIndicates what kind of damage, if any, a colony has experienced (i.e. broken, overturned, etc.)
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BLPIndicates the bleaching status of a colony. This column was used before percent bleaching and paling was recorded
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BLIIIndicates a secondary bleaching condition in addition to the "BLP" condition (i.e. colony has bleaching (BLP - BL) and also paling (BLII - P)
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BL, P, VP, SPValue represents the three dimensional proportion of the colony's living tissue affected by bleaching (BL) or paling (P). Very pale (VP) and slightly pale (SP) are used as intermediaries between bleaching, paling, and healthy tissue coloration
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BLTypeRefers to the type or location of bleaching on a colony (i.e. Foc = focal, Med = Medial, Gran = Granular, etc)
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BLCauseWhen bleaching is directly observed as a result of something else affecting the colony, the cause is noted here (i.e. bleaching occurred under Lobophora sp)
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CWValue represents the three dimensional proportion of the colony's living tissue at the light end of the Coral Watch colony color scale (www.coralwatch.org)
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CWLightRefers to the lightest colony living tissue color observed using the Coral Watch colony color scale (www.coralwatch.org). Note - scale ranges from 1 - 6 with 1 and 2 indicating bleaching and paling, respectively. "CW" values when "CWLight" values are 1 or 2 are reported in the "BL" and "P" columns, respectively
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CWDarkRefers to the darkest colony living tissue color observed using the Coral Watch colony color scale (www.coralwatch.org)
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OldMortValues represents the proportion of the colony skeletal structure considered old partial mortality, defined as eroded skeleton covered with turf or macroalgae. Old mortality is a transition from recent mortality and typically lasts up to 1 - 4 years (see http://www.agrra.org/method/methodcor.html and Smith TB, Nemeth RS, Blondeau J, Calnan JM, Kadison E, Herzlieb S (2008) Assessing coral reef health across onshore to offshore stress gradients in the US Virgin Islands. Marine Pollution Bulletin 56:1983-1991)
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RecMortValue represents the proportion of the colony skeletal structure considered recent partial mortality, defined as uneroded skeleton (fine corallite structure still intact) and bare or with a thin veneer of sheeting or filamentous algae. This condition is typically visible for up to three months following tissue loss
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DiseaseRefers to the presence of Caribbean coral diseases and values represent the three dimensional proportion of the colony affected by the lesion
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NoLesionThis column may be used as an aid to differentiate diseases that cause rapid tissue loss (white plague, SCTLD, etc). Values represent the total number of lesions present on the colony
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LesionPatternThis column may be used as an aid to differentiate diseases that cause rapid tissue loss (white plague, SCTLD, etc). Notes represent the location of lesion(s) (i.e. starting at the edges, in the center of the colony, etc)
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LesionEdgeThis column may be used as an aid to differentiate diseases that cause rapid tissue loss (white plague, SCTLD, etc). Notes represent characteristics of the active lesion edge or margin (i.e. smooth line, irregular pattern, lesion margin associated with bleaching, etc)
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Other Notes
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1Transects are 10m in length with typically 6 per site though additional transects may be present. All transects are line intercept unless otherwise noted by the "Method" (belts of varying sizes may have been used when sample sizes were low). All coral colonies that have portions (living or dead) that fall within the transect are assessed
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2Prior to 2007 only colonies with a max planar diameter greater than 10 cm were assessed (AGRAA methods). From 2007 onwards, all colony sizes are assed for disease
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3Prior to 2005, there were lapses in recording of some variables
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4Coral interactions have been recorded from 2009 on
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5Highlighted data has not been verified due to missing data sheets
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6Use of CW, CWLight, and CWDark was phased out in September 2015. From that point on, only bleaching and paling colony conditions were recorded in reference to colony color
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7Macroalgae previous identified as "encrusting Lobophora sp" (ELOBO, ENLOBO, etc) was changed to Peyssonnelia sp (PEY) 10/2015
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8Ramicrusta sp (RAMI) was officially added as a macroalgae interaction at the beginning of the 2017 annual monitoring period. Records of Ramicrusta sp prior to this time point were added from individual recorder notes
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9Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) was first observed in the US Virgin Islands in January 2019. It was added as a potential disease category at this time
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10Additional columns (NoLesion, LesionPattern, LesionEdge) to aid in the identification of rapid tissue loss (RTL) diseases (white plague, SCTLD) were added in February 2020 following the 2019 bleaching event. Unidentified disease with at least 15% recent mortality directly attributed to disease was considered RTL, which was then categorized as SCTLD if the information provided by the additional lesion columns was characteristic of SCTLD
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11During the sample period "Juvenile", Coral Bay, Fish Bay, and the new location Ruperts Rock were surveyed for coral recruitment along three 0.5x10m belt transects. Corals that intersected the transect line were not included in surveys. The permanently marked transects 1-3 were surveyed at Coral Bay and Fish Bay, while those at Ruperts Rock were randomly selected. All colonies 10cm or less were assessed for bleaching, mortality, and disease.
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