Sediment accumulation rates and constituents in Culebra, Puerto Rico from sediment trap monitoring surveys conducted from 2022-08-30 to 2024-02-06 (NCEI Accession 0306180)

This record provides sediment trap monitoring data collected periodically between 30 August 2023 and 6 February 2024 at 13 nearshore monitoring stations on the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico, as part of Culebra's Ridge-to-Reef Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to assess the effectiveness of the NOAA strategies and actions in priority watersheds to reduce land-based sources of pollution (LBSP) impacts to the nearshore marine ecosystems of the island.

Monitoring stations were co-located with nearshore water quality monitoring sites and long-term seagrass monitoring transects. Monitoring stations were selected to identify watershed discharge points, coastal hydrodynamics, as well as the existing level of LBSP exposure and anticipated changes to LBSP exposure due to management actions. Nearshore monitoring stations were designated based on their land based sources of pollution management implementation status (LBSP Treatment Group), as follows: 1) LBSP Restoration stations: Located downstream where land-based pollutant management has or is being implemented. 2) LBSP Control stations: Represent a range of land-based pollutant impairments, including sites with no LBSP management, no known direct discharge of LBSP but are representative of the range of external factors that may be encountered at the LBSP Restoration stations. 3) Negative Reference stations of know significant -anecdotal and quantified- LBSP impairment. 4) Positive Reference stations of low LBSP impairment.