NCCOS National Status and Trends Special Study: Assessing Land Based Sources of Pollution in Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, from 2013-08-27 to 2013-08-30

This tabular dataset is the result of field sampling of coral tissues (Pocillopora damicornis) and subsequent laboratory chemical analysis for pollutant levels. The pollutants analyzed included trace elements (Al, Ar, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Hg, Ni, Se, Ag, Sn, Zn), PAHs, PCBs, pesticides (chlordanes, DDT, HCH), and organotins. For a complete description of the field and laboratory techniques see Whitall et al. 2016. Keywords: Coral Reefs; Pollution; Metals; PCBs; PAHs; Pesticides; Mariana Islands; Tinian

The overall goal of the assessment was to evaluate the spatial extent and magnitude of pollution (metals, PAHs, PCBs, pesticides) in coral tissues (Pocillopora damicornis) in and proximal to the Tinian Reserve Marine Protected Area. This work was completed in partnership with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Department of Environmental Quality’s (now the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality) Marine Monitoring Team. These data can be used to assess potential pollution issues as well as serve as a baseline against which to measure future change.

Whitall, D., A. Mason, S. Johnson, R. Okano, and J. Iguel. 2016. Chemical Contaminants in Corals (Pocillopora damicornis) in Tinian, CNMI. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 219. Silver Spring, MD. 57 pp. http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-NOS-NCCOS-219

Collaborators: Steven Johnson, CNMI DEQ; Ryan Okano, CNMI DEQ; John Iguel, CNMI DEQ. Partner Entity: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality (formerly Division of Environmental Quality). Base Funding: US DOC; NOAA; NOS; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), NCCOS Project #244, “Assessing Land Based Sources of Pollution in Tinian, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.” Other Funding: US DOC; NOAA; NOS; Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP). Other Project: CRCP Project #916, “Assessing Land Based Sources of Pollution in Tinian (CNMI).”

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For details of data completeness, see Lineage Sources.

For details of data quality control methods, see Lineage Sources. All users should independently analyze the datasets according to their own needs and standards to determine data usability.

Coral samples were collected using standard NOAA National Status and Trends (NS&T) Program protocols. Briefly, samples were collected by SCUBA divers using steel clippers. Coral samples were frozen (-15°C) at the CNMI DEP or the CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife labs in Saipan and were kept frozen during shipment to the contract laboratories in Texas (contaminants Laboratory analyses were conducted following the protocols of the National Status and Trends Program. For a complete description of the methods see Whitall et al. 2016.