Intra-annual variation in turbidity in response to terrestrial runoff on near-shore coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef

Fabricius, Katharina; De’ath, Glenn; Humphrey, Craig; Zagorskis, Irena; Schaffelke, Britta

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2012.03.010

Cited by 107 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The euphotic depth relates inversely to light attenuation and, thus, provides a direct, intuitive measure of the clarity or transparency of the overlying water column [5]. Detecting changes to the transparency of the water column is critical for understanding the responses of benthic organisms to light availability, especially in shallow coastal and shelf regions, such as the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia [7,8]. Degradation in the condition of coastal and inshore ecosystems due to poor water quality is a key issue for the GBR [9], as terrestrial runoff of excess nutrients and sediments affects turbidity and sedimentation regimes and intermittently increases water column productivity, in turn leading to the deterioration of inshore coral reefs at local scales [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite-Derived Photic Depth on the Great Barrier Reef: Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Water Clarity

et al. 2012

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Detecting changes to the transparency of the water column is critical for understanding the responses of marine organisms, such as corals, to light availability. Long-term patterns in water transparency determine geographical and depth distributions, while acute reductions cause short-term stress, potentially mortality and may increase the organisms' vulnerability to other environmental stressors. Here, we investigated the optimal, operational algorithm for light attenuation through the water column across the scale of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. We implemented and tested a quasi-analytical algorithm to determine the photic depth in GBR waters and matched regional Secchi depth (Z SD ) data to MODIS-Aqua (2002 and SeaWiFS (1997SeaWiFS ( -2010 satellite data. The results of the in situ Z SD /satellite data matchup showed a simple bias offset between the in situ and satellite retrievals. Using a Type II linear regression of log-transformed satellite and in situ data, we estimated Z SD and implemented the validated Z SD algorithm to generate a decadal satellite time series (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012) values during the austral summer, most likely due to river runoff and increased vertical mixing, and a decline in water clarity between 2008-2012, reflecting a prevailing La Niña weather pattern. The decline in water clarity was most pronounced in the inshore area, where a significant decrease in mean inner shelf Z SD of 2.1 m (from 8.3 m to 6.2 m) occurred over the decade. Empirical Orthogonal Function Analysis determined the dominance of Mode 1 (51.3%), with the greatest variation in water clarity along the mid-shelf, reflecting the strong influence of oceanic intrusions on the spatio-temporal patterns of water clarity. The newly developed photic depth product has many potential applications for the GBR from water quality monitoring to analyses of ecosystem responses to changes in water clarity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Satellite-Derived Photic Depth on the Great Barrier Reef: Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Water Clarity

et al. 2012

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“…Low levels of sediment led to increased size and enhanced body condition at metamorphosis, which may have been due to the increased ability to discriminate food particles. Sediment loading to coastal waters is likely to escalate with increasing coastal development (Tilman et al, 2001;Hamilton, 2010), creating higher levels of suspended sediment on coral reefs (Fabricius et al, 2013). This study provides evidence that suspended sediment levels currently reached in inshore areas could substantially change developmental patterns in a coral reef fish.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Suspended sediment prolongs larval development in a coral reef fish

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McCormick

Endo

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Increasing sediment input into coastal environments is having a profound influence on shallow marine habitats and associated species. Coral reef ecosystems appear to be particularly sensitive, with increased sediment deposition and re-suspension being associated with declines in the abundance and diversity of coral reef fishes. While recent research has demonstrated that suspended sediment can have negative impacts on post-settlement coral reef fishes, its effect on larval development has not been investigated. In this study, we tested the effects of different levels of suspended sediment on larval growth and development time in Amphiprion percula, a coral reef damselfish. Larvae were subjected to four experimental concentrations of suspended sediment spanning the range found around coastal coral reefs (0-45 mg l −1 ). Larval duration was significantly longer in all sediment treatments (12 days) compared with the average larval duration in the control treatment (11 days). Approximately 75% of the fish in the control had settled by day 11, compared with only 40-46% among the sediment treatments. In the highest sediment treatment, some individuals had a larval duration twice that of the median duration in the control treatment. Unexpectedly, in the low sediment treatment, fish at settlement were significantly longer and heavier compared with fish in the other treatments, suggesting delayed development was independent of individual condition. A sediment-induced extension of the pelagic larval stage could significantly reduce numbers of larvae competent to settle and, in turn, have major effects on adult population dynamics.

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“…Numerous studies have shown that nutrient enrichment, turbidity, sedimentation, and pesticides all affect the resilience of the GBR ecosystems, degrading coral reefs and seagrass beds at local and regional scales [12,51,64,76,[89][90][91][92][93][94][95]. Contaminants may also interact to have a combined negative effect on reef resilience that is greater than the effect of each contaminant in isolation [96].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Quality and River Plume Monitoring in the Great Barrier Reef: An Overview of Methods Based on Ocean Colour Satellite Data

et al. 2015

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A strong driver of water quality change in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the pulsed or intermittent nature of terrestrial inputs into the GBR lagoon, including delivery of increased loads of sediments, nutrients, and toxicants via flood river plumes (hereafter river plumes) during the wet season. Cumulative pressures from extreme weather with a high frequency of large scale flooding in recent years has been linked to the large scale reported decline in the health of inshore seagrass systems and coral reefs in the central areas of the GBR, with concerns for the recovery potential of these impacted ecosystems. Management authorities currently rely on remotely-sensed (RS) and in situ data for water quality monitoring to guide their assessment of water quality conditions in the GBR. The use of remotely-sensed satellite products provides a quantitative and accessible tool for scientists and managers. These products, coupled with in situ data, and more recently modelled data, are valuable for quantifying the influence of river plumes on seagrass and coral reef habitat in the GBR. This article reviews recent remote sensing techniques developed to monitor river plumes and water quality in the GBR. We also discuss emerging research that integrates hydrodynamic models with remote sensing and in situ OPEN ACCESS Remote Sens. 2015, 7 12910 data, enabling us to explore impacts of different catchment management strategies on GBR water quality.

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Intra-annual variation in turbidity in response to terrestrial runoff on near-shore coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef

Cited by 107 publications

References 41 publications

Satellite-Derived Photic Depth on the Great Barrier Reef: Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Water Clarity

Satellite-Derived Photic Depth on the Great Barrier Reef: Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Water Clarity

Suspended sediment prolongs larval development in a coral reef fish

Water Quality and River Plume Monitoring in the Great Barrier Reef: An Overview of Methods Based on Ocean Colour Satellite Data

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