Table of Contents

• Coverage
• Dataset Description
  • Methods & Sampling
  • Data Processing Description
  • BCO-DMO Curation Notes
• Data Files
• Related Publications
• Parameters
• Instruments
• Project Information
• Funding

Temperatures were collected in situ during dives using a Shearwater dive computer. Dives were made from vessels Valeska, Costa and Danubio Azul, under Chief Scientist Robert Lamb (University of Florida), at the Galapagos Islands (0°30′S 90°30′W / 0.500°S 90.500°W) from 0-70 m depth.

Data were transferred directly from source device.

This section documents curation actions performed prior to publication review with the submitter, and additional information relevant to understanding and reusing this dataset. It distinguishes changes made to the submitted (meta)data from unresolved issues and/or enhancements that improve future reuse and interoperability.

CURATION ACTIONS PERFORMED ON DATA

- Imported data from original file "998307_v1_galapagos_ocean_temps_lamb_20260904.csv" into the BCO-DMO data processing system.
- Renamed columns "Longtidue" to "Longitude_DMS" and "Latitude" to "Latitude_DMS".
- Replaced special "¼" character with a space in Longitude_DMS and Latitude_DMS columns.
- Inserted a space after "W" in Longitude_DMS values.
- Inserted a space after "S" in Latitude_DMS values, including for missing values.
- Replaced apostrophes with spaces in Longitude_DMS and Latitude_DMS columns.
- Converted Longitude_DMS (degrees-minutes-seconds) into new decimal degrees column Longitude_DD.
- Converted Latitude_DMS (degrees-minutes-seconds) into new decimal degrees column Latitude_DD.
- Rounded Longitude_DD to 7 decimal digits, applying only to values with greater precision.
- Saved the final file as "998307_v1_galapagos_ocean_temps.csv".

CURATION ACTIONS PERFORMED ON METADATA

- BCO-DMO's standard metadata entry and text formatting steps were performed. See: https://www.bco-dmo.org/how-to/standard-curation-edits

ISSUES POTENTIALLY IMPACTING REUSE

- N/A

NSF Award Abstract:
Disease is a growing threat facing wild animals in a world increasingly dominated by humans. Marine fish diseases are poorly understood but have increased in recent decades in connection with ocean warming. In the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, extreme warm waters have led to ulcerative skin disease in several different species of fish. An outbreak of this skin disease is underway in association with a strong El Niño event. This project addresses the growing threat of wildlife disease and the current outbreak of skin disease in fish of the Galapagos Islands by determining what proportion of different species are affected and by examining infected fish from the wild. Infected fish are being assessed for microbes that might cause the disease, and ocean temperature are being monitored along with other factors that may foster skin disease. Isolated microbes are being used in lab tests to see if they cause the same disease seen in the field in order to confirm the cause of this ulcerative skin disease.

This project includes training for students in the US and in Ecuador and development of a virtual teaching module for high school students in English and Spanish. The research team is working closely with the Galapagos National Park to address the threat of fish disease and associated population declines caused by the 2023-24 El Niño event, and to help modify fisheries policy to reflect species' vulnerability. Through public symposia and online learning materials, this work serves as a platform for teaching and engaging students of all ages and industry stakeholders on issues of climate change and wildlife disease. The research advances understanding of how and why these ulcerative skin disease outbreaks occur in the Galapagos, which is very important for marine reserve and fisheries management and can have far-reaching impacts for understanding and addressing diseases in wild fish as well as in aquaculture and aquarium industries.

Climate change increases the frequency and severity of marine heatwaves, such as those experienced in the Tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean during extreme El Niño events. An extreme El Niño that began in summer 2023 and has facilitated an outbreak of an ulcerative skin disease in several species of marine fish. This project: 1) establishes the extent of ulcerative skin disease, species affected, demographic, environmental, and ecological correlates, and timing of disease progression relative to the development of the El Niño event; 2) determines the putative pathogen(s) responsible for ulcerative skin disease through histological and genetic analyses, pathogen cultures, and laboratory challenge trials; and 3) examines the effects of the El Niño event on fish populations by building a database of morpho-ecological traits for 165 species of reef fish and using multivariate ordination analysis to test the ability of these traits to predict El Niño-associated declines relative to an 8-year database of fish populations at 16 sites across the archipelago.

The results advance understanding of a widespread emerging fish disease and reef fish populations dynamics in a warming ocean. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.