Early recovery dynamics of turbid coral reefs after recurring bleaching events

Evans, Richard D.; Wilson, Shaun K.; Fisher, Rebecca; Ryan, Nicole M.; Babcock, Russ; Blakeway, David; Bond, Todd; Dorji, Passang; Dufois, François; Fearns, Peter; Lowe, Ryan J.; Stoddart, James A.; Thomson, Damian P.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110666

Cited by 56 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 116 publications

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“…Ecosystems already under stress from heatwaves could then be subjected to increased turbidity and may not recover to their same stable states. This has been shown previously in the Pilbara region where corals were slower to recover from bleaching events under turbid conditions [14].…”

Section: Climate Change and Turbiditysupporting

confidence: 81%

“…The impacts of climate change include ocean warming and acidification [5,6], coastal wind intensification [7], the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events [8], changing wave climates [9], and sea level rise [10] which are often strongly coupled to global climate cycles such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) [11][12][13]. While these pressures from climate change often have long-lasting impacts, any co-occurring local declines in water quality, such as increasing water turbidity, can also reduce the recovery and resilience of many ecologically critical habitats [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying Metocean Drivers of Turbidity Using 18 Years of MODIS Satellite Data: Implications for Marine Ecosystems under Climate Change

et al. 2021

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Turbidity impacts the growth and productivity of marine benthic habitats due to light limitation. Daily/monthly synoptic and tidal influences often drive turbidity fluctuations, however, our understanding of what drives turbidity across seasonal/interannual timescales is often limited, thus impeding our ability to forecast climate change impacts to ecologically significant habitats. Here, we analysed long term (18-year) MODIS-aqua data to derive turbidity and the associated meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) processes in an arid tropical embayment (Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia) within the eastern Indian Ocean. We found turbidity was associated with El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycles as well as Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events. Winds from the adjacent terrestrial region were also associated with turbidity and an upward trend in turbidity was evident in the body of the gulf over the 18 years. Our results identify hydrological processes that could be affected by global climate cycles undergoing change and reveal opportunities for managers to reduce impacts to ecologically important ecosystems.

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Section: Climate Change and Turbiditysupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Metocean Drivers of Turbidity Using 18 Years of MODIS Satellite Data: Implications for Marine Ecosystems under Climate Change

et al. 2021

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“…Furthermore, units for turbidity and sedimentation data vary. For turbidity, the most commonly used measurement unit is nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU) or formazin turbidity unit (FTU) when using turbidity loggers [20,40,59], with other studies focusing on light attenuation (as a proxy for turbidity) measured by light loggers (e.g., kd490, PAR, LUX) [11,60,61] or by Secchi disk [62][63][64]. Sedimentation rates are largely assessed using sediment traps (e.g., g m 2 d −1 ) [65], but how they are deployed (e.g., size, height above the seabed, sampling intervals) considerably influences the interpretation of the data [65].…”

Section: Defining a Turbid Reefmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turbid Coral Reefs: Past, Present and Future—A Review

2021

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Increasing evidence suggests that coral reefs exposed to elevated turbidity may be more resilient to climate change impacts and serve as an important conservation hotspot. However, logistical difficulties in studying turbid environments have led to poor representation of these reef types within the scientific literature, with studies using different methods and definitions to characterize turbid reefs. Here we review the geological origins and growth histories of turbid reefs from the Holocene (past), their current ecological and environmental states (present), and their potential responses and resilience to increasing local and global pressures (future). We classify turbid reefs using new descriptors based on their turbidity regime (persistent, fluctuating, transitional) and sources of sediment input (natural versus anthropogenic). Further, by comparing the composition, function and resilience of two of the most studied turbid reefs, Paluma Shoals Reef Complex, Australia (natural turbidity) and Singapore reefs (anthropogenic turbidity), we found them to be two distinct types of turbid reefs with different conservation status. As the geographic range of turbid reefs is expected to increase due to local and global stressors, improving our understanding of their responses to environmental change will be central to global coral reef conservation efforts.

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“…Coral bleaching events have also occurred on the reefs towards the northern end of the gulf, reducing live coral cover in 2011 from 79%–92% to 1%–6% (Depczynski et al, 2013). These stressors impacted major reef‐building corals in the region, especially Acropora (Evans et al, 2020; Speed et al, 2013), that typically drive rapid recovery on reefs (e.g., Doropoulos et al, 2015; Gouezo et al, 2019). In relation to this recent disturbance, we specifically asked (1) Do environmental gradients alter the demographic rates and ecological interactions that drive coral recruitment?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%