Factors controlling suspended sediment on inner-shelf coral reefs, Townsville, Australia

Larcombe, Piers; Ridd, Peter V.; Prytz, A.; Wilson, Ben

doi:10.1007/bf00367235

Cited by 219 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

144

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Half of the tanks (16) Kirk 1994 andTe 1997 for the general relationship between particle concentration, depth, and light level). The ranges of experimental SPM levels targeted were typical of those recorded on nearshore reefs in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon (Larcombe et al 1995).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Furthermore, increased particle fluxes are often associated with other factors that affect coral physiology (Brown and Howard 1985), such as freshwater runoff from land (e.g., Sakai and Nishihira 1991), wave action (Larcombe et al 1995), reduced light (Dallmeyer et al 1982;Te 1997), and high nutrient loads (Mitchell and Furnas 1997). Testing hypotheses of the effects of specific SPM levels on aspects of the biology of corals (and on benthic organisms in general) requires a higher degree of environmental control than can be obtained from field studies.…”

Section: Acknowledgmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A tank system for studying benthic aquatic organisms at predictable levels of turbidity and sedimentation: Case study examining coral growth

Anthony¹

1999

Limnology & Oceanography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A tank system is described for long-term exposure of sessile organisms to well-defined ranges of particle loads on a background of natural flowing seawater. Using low technology and a simple mathematical model, the concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and the rate of sedimentation could be predicted and sustained with high precision. The system and operational procedures were tested in an 8-week experiment investigating the effect of SPM concentrations on the growth rates of two species of symbiotic scleractinian coral (Goniastrea retiformis and Porites cylindrica). To also evaluate the effect of shading by SPM on coral growth, two light levels corresponding to 3-4-m depth at the low and high particle concentrations were included in the design. The growth rates of corals in control tanks were not significantly different from those of conspecifics in situ. However, the patterns of growth rates vs. SPM and shading treatments differed between species. The growth rates of G. retiformis generally increased as a function of SPM concentration (range ϭ ϳ1-16 mg L Ϫ1 ), whereas the growth rates of P. cylindrica were unaffected by particle load. The shading effects corresponding to 16 mg SPM L Ϫ1 at 3-4-m depth resulted in significantly reduced growth rates in both species. I hypothesize that the different growth patterns displayed by the two species are the results of different abilities to utilize SPM as a food source or different susceptibilities to SPM as a mechanical stress factor.The high level of environmental control and the constancy of SPM treatment levels were reflected in the absence of tank effects on growth rates and provided sufficient statistical power to detect relatively small differences in growth rates between corals from different treatments.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Acknowledgmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A tank system for studying benthic aquatic organisms at predictable levels of turbidity and sedimentation: Case study examining coral growth

Anthony¹

1999

Limnology & Oceanography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Specifically at Sugarloaf Key in the Lower Florida Keys, tides and associated tidal currents, storms, and upwelling events led to short-term increases in turbidity and in spectral particulate absorption, attenuation and scattering in the patch reef and seagrass sites. Tides and circulation dynamics in coastal waters can resuspend sediments and dissolved compounds changing the chemical composition of the water column when organic and inorganic materials trapped in the sediments are released [23][24][25][26][57][58][59].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Available Light for Seagrass and Patch Reef Productivity in Sugarloaf Key, Lower Florida Keys

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Light availability is an important factor driving primary productivity in benthic ecosystems, but in situ and remote sensing measurements of light quality are limited for coral reefs and seagrass beds. We evaluated the productivity responses of a patch reef and a seagrass site in the Lower Florida Keys to ambient light availability and spectral quality. In situ optical properties were characterized utilizing moored and water column bio-optical and hydrographic measurements. Net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was also estimated for these study sites using benthic productivity chambers. Our results show higher spectral light attenuation and absorption, and lower irradiance during low tide in the patch reef, tracking the influx of materials from shallower coastal areas. In contrast, the intrusion of clearer surface Atlantic Ocean water caused lower values of spectral attenuation and absorption, and higher irradiance in the patch reef during high tide. Storms during the studied period, with winds >10 m¨s´1, caused higher spectral attenuation values. A spatial gradient of NEP was observed, from high productivity in the shallow seagrass area, to lower productivity in deeper patch reefs. The highest daytime NEP was observed in the seagrass, with values of almost 0.4 g¨O 2¨m´2¨h´1 . Productivity at the patch reef area was lower in May than during October 2012 (mean = 0.137 and 0.177 g¨O 2¨m´2¨h´1 , respectively). Higher photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) levels measured above water and lower light attenuation in the red region of the visible spectrum (~666 to~699 nm) had a positive correlation with NEP. Our results indicate that changes in light availability and quality by suspended or resuspended particles limit benthic productivity in the Florida Keys.

show abstract

“…Turbidity in the inshore and coastal waters of the GBR is primarily driven by resuspension (Larcombe et al 1995), in depths of 10 m or less, associated with the south-easterly wind regime and tidal currents. However, sediment supply to cause turbidity may not be limited by sediment supply from the rivers, and hence increased sediment loading may not cause increased turbidity (Larcombe and Woolfe 1999).…”

Section: Target Setting For the Burdekin Basin For Suspended Sedimentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Target setting for pollutant discharge management of rivers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area

Brodie

Lewis

Bainbridge

et al. 2009

Mar. Freshwater Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Water Quality Improvement Plans (WQIPs) are being developed for individual river basins on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment associated with the GBR Water Quality Protection Plan. Within each WQIP, marine ecosystem targets are linked to end-of-river pollutant (suspended sediments, nutrients and pesticides) load targets and to farm level management practice targets. The targets are linked through quantitative models; e.g. one model connects GBR chlorophyll concentrations (marine target) to end-of-river nitrate loads, a second connects the end-of-river nitrate loads to fertiliser management targets in the catchment, whereas a third model links fertiliser application to nitrate loss at the farm scale. The difficulties of applying these linked models to derive credible and practical management targets are great, given the high degree of uncertainty in each model. Our understanding of the generation of suspended sediments, nutrients and pesticides in catchments and the relationship to on-farm management, the transport of these materials to the ocean, their transport in coastal waters and their effects on marine ecosystems is incomplete. The challenge is to produce estimates from the models, with known levels of uncertainty, but robust enough for management purposes. Case studies from the Tully-Murray basin and the Burdekin basin in north Queensland are discussed.

show abstract

Factors controlling suspended sediment on inner-shelf coral reefs, Townsville, Australia

Cited by 219 publications

References 13 publications

A tank system for studying benthic aquatic organisms at predictable levels of turbidity and sedimentation: Case study examining coral growth

A tank system for studying benthic aquatic organisms at predictable levels of turbidity and sedimentation: Case study examining coral growth

Characterization of Available Light for Seagrass and Patch Reef Productivity in Sugarloaf Key, Lower Florida Keys

Target setting for pollutant discharge management of rivers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About