Distribution of zooplankton inferred from hydroacoustic backscatter data in coastal waters off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Wilson, Steven G.; Pauly, Tim; Meekan, Mark

doi:10.1071/mf01229

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The ADCP was deployed looking upward on the reef bottom at various localities in front of the Steinitz Marine Laboratory for time spans of 4-78 d, from August 1999 to October 2002. To avoid contamination of the acoustic signal with near-surface air bubbles and near-bottom resuspended sediments (Wilson et al 2002), we chose to focus on ADCP records from midwater bins.…”

Section: High-resolution Diel Dynamics Over Long Time Periods-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diel pattern with abrupt crepuscular changes of zooplankton over a coral reef

Yahel

Berman

et al. 2005

Limnology & Oceanography

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We studied zooplankton abundance and emergence patterns over coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba using highresolution acoustics (multibeam sonar, FTV, 1.6 MHz, and WH600 ADCP, 614 KHz), emergence traps, and an underwater pump, supplemented with field observations on feeding behavior of zooplanktivorous fish. The zooplanktonic community over coral reefs is a complex and highly dynamic mixture of pelagic plankton advected into the reef, larvae and eggs released by benthic animals, and demersal plankton. At sunset (0 Ϯ4 min, mean Ϯ95% confidence interval) acoustic back-scattering intensity and zooplankton biomass started to increase rapidly. In contrast with this ascent, the predawn decline began much earlier during the dark (82 Ϯ5 min before sunrise) and terminated before sunrise. This light-dependent diel behavior was highly consistent throughout the year, regardless of seasonal and environmental changes. Smaller zooplankters (500-700 m) ascended first and demersal zooplankton accounted for most of the increase in zooplankton soon after sunset. Surprisingly, the emergence of zooplankton occurred while large schools of diurnal zooplanktivorous fish were still foraging in the water column. However, at that time, prey-capture efficiency by the fish is greatly reduced and corals had not yet expanded their tentacles, producing an optimal window of opportunity of low risk for emergence.Diel vertical migration (DVM) is one of the most conspicuous features of zooplankton behavior, occurring in di-

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Section: High-resolution Diel Dynamics Over Long Time Periods-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Diel pattern with abrupt crepuscular changes of zooplankton over a coral reef

Yahel

Berman

et al. 2005

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…The concentration of tour vessel interactions with whale sharks adjacent to south passage at North Ningaloo is consistent with observations from spotter planes which show that large numbers of whale sharks are sighted off reef passages (Wilson et al, 2002). Wilson et al (2002) used hydro-acoustic surveys to investigate the distribution of zooplankton during the whale shark season at Ningaloo Reef and often observed whale sharks associated with frontal zones out from south passage and to the south of this passage.…”

Section: Spatial Patterns Of Whale Shark Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…At Ningaloo Reef, oceanographic fronts form adjacent to passages as dense lagoon water meets fresher shelf water, creating intense mixing which is often associated with dense plankton assemblages (Wilson et al, 2002). Wilson et al (2002) observed the highest productivity, determined from acoustic mean volume backscatter data collected using an echosounder, out from north passage and south passage, which suggests that dense plankton assemblages are found in these areas. Whale sharks target high concentrations of plankton when feeding at Ningaloo (Jarman and Wilson, 2004) and as a consequence, these areas are likely to attract large numbers of whale sharks, and therefore, interactions with tour operators.…”

Section: Spatial Patterns Of Whale Shark Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Spatial Patterns Of Whale Shark Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wilson et al (2002) used hydro-acoustic surveys to investigate the distribution of zooplankton during the whale shark season at Ningaloo Reef and often observed whale sharks associated with frontal zones out from south passage and to the south of this passage. At Ningaloo Reef, oceanographic fronts form adjacent to passages as dense lagoon water meets fresher shelf water, creating intense mixing which is often associated with dense plankton assemblages (Wilson et al, 2002). Wilson et al (2002) observed the highest productivity, determined from acoustic mean volume backscatter data collected using an echosounder, out from north passage and south passage, which suggests that dense plankton assemblages are found in these areas.…”

Section: Spatial Patterns Of Whale Shark Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial and temporal patterns of nature-based tourism interactions with whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Anderson

Kobryn

Norman

et al. 2014

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

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a b s t r a c tAs with other nature-based tourism ventures, whale shark tourism is expanding rapidly worldwide, which highlights the need to understand more about the nature of these activities. Records of interactions between tour operators and whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia (22. (2009 and 2010) were used to plot the smoothed densities of tour operator interactions with whale sharks. Generalised linear models were used to investigate how the presence/absence and number of whale shark interactions at North and South Ningaloo were influenced by the distance to the reef crest, the distance to passages and their interaction terms for the aggregated five-year data set. Over the five years, distance to the reef crest was the best predictor of the presence/absence of whale shark interactions at both North (interactions concentrated within 3 km of the reef crest) and South Ningaloo (interactions within 6 km of the reef crest) followed by distance to passages. The reef passages are very significant areas for tourism interactions with whale sharks at Ningaloo. The distribution of interactions at North and South Ningaloo varied from year to year, particularly in the strong La Niña year of 2010, when average sea surface temperatures remained above 24 C and whale sharks were observed much later in the year than previously (late August). This study demonstrates the value of the data collected by the tour operators at Ningaloo Reef and managed by a government agency for the conservation and sustainable whale shark tourism.

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Dynamics of the summer shelf circulation and transient upwelling off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Lowe

Ivey

et al. 2013

JGR Oceans

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[1] The shelf circulation off Ningaloo Reef near the North West Cape of Western Australia is driven by complex interactions between the southward flowing Leeuwin Current and wind-driven currents that episodically reverse the coastal flow toward the north. The presence of these northward (equatorward) wind-driven currents is thought to make this section of coast one of the few locations along Western Australia to experience periodic coastal upwelling. We used a combination of field observations and numerical modeling to investigate the summer circulation and upwelling dynamics along Ningaloo Reef. We analyzed current and temperature profiles from moorings at four sites across the shelf and used two Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) sub-models: (1) a coarser model of northwestern Australia forced by a global ocean model and (2) a nested fine-scale model of the Ningaloo region. This nesting significantly improved model skill as it included the offshore mesoscale dynamics that strongly influenced the shelf circulation off Ningaloo. The field observations revealed several northward flow reversals, accompanied by cooling of the coastal waters adjacent to Ningaloo, which were associated with strong northward wind events. Analysis of the coastal heat budget revealed that cooling events were primarily driven by upwelling, whereas warming of coastal waters during relaxation events resulted mostly from along-shelf advection of warm water from the north. Due to the combined effects of its relatively steep (~1/50 slope) shelf and strong summer stratification, upwelled water was sourced from the interior of the water column, likely influencing the sources and fluxes of nutrients to Ningaloo Reef.

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Distribution of zooplankton inferred from hydroacoustic backscatter data in coastal waters off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Cited by 17 publications

References 40 publications

Diel pattern with abrupt crepuscular changes of zooplankton over a coral reef

Diel pattern with abrupt crepuscular changes of zooplankton over a coral reef

Spatial and temporal patterns of nature-based tourism interactions with whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

Dynamics of the summer shelf circulation and transient upwelling off Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

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