National Coral Reef Monitoring Program: Calcification rates of crustose coralline algae derived from calcification accretion units (CAUs) deployed in the U.S. Virgin Islands

CAUs allow for recruitment and colonization of Crustose Corraline Algae and hard corals. By measuring the change in weight of the CAUs, the reef carbonate accretion rate can be calculated for that time period.

Monitoring net accretion over successive deployments allows for the detection of changes in calcification rates over time. This study provides information about spatial patterns of algal calcification and accretion rates and serves as a basis for detecting changes associated with changing seawater chemistry due to ocean acidification. These data can also be used in comparative analyses across natural gradients, thereby assisting efforts to determine whether key reef-building taxa can acclimatize to changing oceanographic environments.