Maintaining an ocean acidification monitoring buoy in American Samoa
Why we care
Long-term observations of carbonate chemistry at U.S.-affiliated coral reef sites are critical to understanding the impact of ocean acidification (OA) on coral ecosystems over time. The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) brings together scientists across NOAA to conduct sustained coastal ocean observations of biological climate and socioeconomic indicators in 10 priority U.S. coral reef areas.
What we are doing
This project will provide high-quality carbonate chemistry data at a newly established National Coral Reef Monitoring Plan (NCRMP) monitoring site in Fagatele Bay, American Samoa. Using an interdisciplinary approach, scientists will collect, process, analyze, and steward continuous ocean acidification data. Observations of the carbonate system, the ocean’s buffering system, will be collected via a Moored Autonomous pCO2 (MApCO2) buoy providing freely-available high-quality carbon dioxide data that can then be used by project collaborators and partners to further research.
Benefits of our work
The outcomes generated from this monitoring project will advance our understanding of the carbon cycle of coral reefs in American Samoa and the impacts to coral ecosystems. Ocean acidification data will help elucidate the natural biogeochemical influences at reefs, and can be used to determine if the magnitude of acidification occurring in the open ocean is also occurring on coral reefs.
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