Dataset: Long-term seawater temperature data from USVI

Measurement of Seawater Temperature

Seawater temperature was recorded every 15-30 min using a Ryan Industries thermistor (± 0.3°C accuracy) at 11-m depth from January 1989 to April 1997, and from November 1997 to August 1999; an Optic Stowaway logger (± 0.2°C accuracy) at 9-m depth from May 1997 to October 1997, and from August 1999 to August 2001; and a Hobo Aquapro logger (± 0.2°C accuracy) at 9-m depth from August 2001 to August 2011. Temperatures were averaged by day and month and used to calculate annual mean and range using monthly mean temperatures. Daily temperatures were used to categorize days as hot (> 29.3°C) or cold (≤ 26.0°C), with hot days exceeding the coral bleaching threshold for St. John (http://coralreefwatch.noaa.gov/satellite), and ‘cold days’ less than or equal to the lower 12th percentile of daily seawater temperatures in Great Lameshur Bay between 1989-2005 (Edmunds 2006). This dataset includes data starting in July 1999.