Temperature and Current Instrument Data in the Coral Nursery with the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project (SCNPP) in the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) since 2019

Water temperature and current time series data provided in this data set are from a Lowell Instruments TCM-1 Current Meter deployed at the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project (SCNPP) site in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The temperature and current instrument recorders were deployed for a period of <1 year, from June of 2019 - February 2020 and were re-deployed again for a period of <1 year from April of 2020 - June of 2020, and have been redeployed since then. The data is a part of an ongoing timeseries and updated entries are expected annually. Data are downloaded and converted using the proprietary MAT_LOGGER drive and MAT Logger Commander also provided by Lowell Instruments.

The Current data described here includes: local date and time, speed (cm/s), Bearing (degrees), Velocity-N (cm/s) and Velocity-E (cm/s). The current sample interval over time stays consistently at 1 minute intervals.

The Temperature data described here includes local date and time and temperature (c). The temperature sample interval over time ranges from 1 - 2 minutes.

More information about Lowell Instruments and the TCM-1 tilt current meter can be found here –

https://www.tempcon.co.uk/shop/lowell-instruments-tcm-1-tilt-current-meter

Water temperature and current data aid in the monitoring of seawater conditions which are used to help the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project (SCNPP) team understand how the coral fragments in the nursery are impacted and respond to environmental conditions.

This project represents the first effort to develop a coral culturing and restoration program in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Funding has been provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) Habitat Conservation Division (HCD), and NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), and contracted to Johnston Applied Marine Sciences (JAMS). The primary local stakeholder included the CNMI Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality Division of Coastal Resources Management (BECQ-DCRM), the Department of Lands and Natural Resources (DLNR), and the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).

The overarching goals of this project over the long-term are to maintain and enhance coral populations, including threatened species, through cultivation and propagation, restore coral reef ecosystem function, and improve reef resilience. The objectives of this contract were to support the scoping, construction, deployment, and monitoring of the first ocean-based coral nursery in the CNMI and the first coral nursery in the Pacific to work with a listed coral species (Acropora globiceps)

The CNMI NOAA Field Office

The Current data described here includes: local date and time, speed (cm/s), Bearing (degrees), Velocity-N (cm/s) and Velocity-E (cm/s). The current sample interval over time stays consistently at 1 minute intervals.

The Temperature data described here includes local date and time and temperature (c). The temperature sample interval over time ranges from 1 - 2 minutes.

While every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of the current state of the art, NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty.

1) Data analyses should take all field exigencies into account. The most effective way to do this would be active collaboration with the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project dataset data steward and point of contact.

2) In all presentations, product releases, or publications using data generated by SCNPP, proper acknowledgement is expected. Citing the DOI (if available) is preferred, a non-DOI example is listed below.

3) Those utilizing the data are strongly urged to inform the SCNPP team of any errors and discrepancies that are discovered during the course of using these data. They are further urged to bring to the attention of the team all problems and difficulties encountered in using these data.

Example acknowledgment:

"This publication makes use of data products gathered by the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project (SCNPP), The CNMI NOAA Field Office, Pacific Island Regional Office (PIRO), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program. The analysis and interpretations presented here are solely that of the current authors.”

Data can be accessed online via the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Ocean Archive.

None

Speed:

Low Range - 0-40 cm/s and accuracy of 2 cm/s + 3% of reading

High Range - 0-80 cm/s and accuracy of 3 cm/s + 3% of reading

Direction:

Range - 0-360° and accuracy of 5° (for speed >5 cm/s)

--A 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer determine tilt and bearing.

Temperature:

Range of -5 to 30 °C and accuracy of 0.1 °C

Range of -20 to -5, 30 to 50°C and accuracy of 0.2 °C

Start and Stop at user defined times

--8 GB memory card eliminates memory concerns

--Lithium battery allows continuous 1 minute 4Hz sampling for more than 1 year

All data gathered are consistent with the given methodology.

Quality control is conducted after the instrument is retrieved and the data is downloaded from the instrument, when the data is processed and analyzed and when the data is packaged and submitted to the NOAA archive.

The data is captured through an instrument logger, it is downloaded onto a drive through the instrument software, then data is exported and backed up onto google drive.

The deployment, recovery and process steps of temperature and current data from the 'Lowell Instruments TCM-1 Current Meter' employed by the Saipan Coral Nursery Pilot Project team since 2019.