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Temperature-induced mass coral bleaching causing mortality on a wide geographic scale started when atmospheric CO2 levels exceeded ∼320 ppm. When CO2 levels reached ∼340 ppm, sporadic but highly destructive mass bleaching occurred in most reefs world-wide, often associated with El Niño events. Recovery was dependent on the vulnerability of individual reef areas and on the reef’s previous history and resilience. At today’s level of ∼387 ppm, allowing a lag-time of 10 years for sea temperatures to respond, most reefs world-wide are committed to an irreversible decline. Mass bleaching will in future become annual, departing from the 4 to 7 years return-time of El Niño events. Bleaching will be exacerbated by the effects of degraded water-quality and increased severe weather events. In addition, the progressive onset of ocean acidification will cause reduction of coral growth and retardation of the growth of high magnesium calcite-secreting coralline algae. If CO2 levels are allowed to reach 450 ppm (due to occur by 2030-2040 at the current rates), reefs will be in rapid and terminal decline world-wide from multiple synergies arising from mass bleaching, ocean acidification, and other environmental impacts. Damage to shallow reef communities will become extensive with consequent reduction of biodiversity followed by extinctions. Reefs will cease to be large-scale nursery grounds for fish and will cease to have most of their current value to humanity. There will be knock-on effects to ecosystems associated with reefs, and to other pelagic and benthic ecosystems. Should CO2 levels reach 600 ppm reefs will be eroding geological structures with populations of surviving biota restricted to refuges. Domino effects will follow, affecting many other marine ecosystems. This is likely to have been the path of great mass extinctions of the past, adding to the case that anthropogenic CO2 emissions could trigger the Earth’s sixth mass extinction.  相似文献   

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Coral community structure is often governed by a suite of processes that are becoming increasingly influenced by land-use changes and related terrestrial discharges. We studied sites along a watershed gradient to examine both the physical environment and the associated biological communities. Transplanted corals showed no differences in growth rates and mortality along the watershed gradient. However, coral cover, coral richness, and coral colony density increased with increasing distance from the mouth of the bay. There was a negative relationship between coral cover and mean suspended solids concentration. Negative relationships were also found between terrigenous sedimentation rates and the richness of adult and juvenile corals. These results have major implications not only for Pacific islands but for all countries with reef systems downstream of rivers. Land development very often leads to increases in river runoff and suspended solids concentrations that reduce coral cover and coral diversity on adjacent reefs.  相似文献   

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Although reef corals worldwide have sustained epizootics in recent years, no coral diseases have been observed in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean until now. Here we present an overview of the main types of diseases and their incidence in the largest and richest coral reefs in the South Atlantic (Abrolhos Bank, eastern Brazil). Qualitative observations since the 1980s and regular monitoring since 2001 indicate that coral diseases intensified only recently (2005–2007). Based on estimates of disease prevalence and progression rate, as well as on the growth rate of a major reef-building coral species (the Brazilian-endemic Mussismilia braziliensis), we predict that eastern Brazilian reefs will suffer a massive coral cover decline in the next 50 years, and that M. braziliensis will be nearly extinct in less than a century if the current rate of mortality due to disease is not reversed.  相似文献   

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To provide coastal engineers and scientists with a quantitative evaluation of nearshore numerical wave models in reef environments, we review and compare three commonly used models with detailed laboratory observations. These models are the following: (1) SWASH (Simulating WAves till SHore) (Zijlema et al. 2011), a phase-resolving nonlinear shallow-water wave model with added nonhydrostatic terms; (2) SWAN (Simulating WAve Nearshore) (Booij et al. 1999), a phase-averaged spectral wave model; and (3) XBeach (Roelvink et al. 2009), a coupled phase-averaged spectral wave model (applied to modeling sea-swell waves) and a nonlinear shallow-water model (applied to modeling infragravity waves). A quantitative assessment was made of each model’s ability to predict sea-swell (SS) wave height, infragravity (IG) wave height, wave spectra, and wave setup ( \( \overline{\eta} \) ) at five locations across the laboratory fringing reef profile of Demirbilek et al. (2007). Simulations were performed with the “recommended” empirical coefficients as documented for each model, and then the key wave-breaking parameter for each model (α in SWASH and γ in both SWAN and XBeach) was optimized to most accurately reproduce the observations. SWASH, SWAN, and XBeach were found to be capable of predicting SS wave height variations across the steep fringing reef profile with reasonable accuracy using the default coefficients. Nevertheless, tuning of the key wave-breaking parameter improved the accuracy of each model’s predictions. SWASH and XBeach were also able to predict IG wave height and spectral transformation. Although SWAN was capable of modeling the SS wave height, in its current form, it was not capable of modeling the spectral transformation into lower frequencies, as evident in the underprediction of the low-frequency waves.  相似文献   

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Colonies of reef-building stony corals at 57 stations around St. Croix, US Virgin Islands were characterized by species, size and percentage of living tissue. Taxonomic, biological and physical indicators of coral condition were derived from these measurements and assessed for their response to gradients of human disturbance—a requirement for indicators used in regulatory assessments under authority of the Clean Water Act. At the most intensely disturbed location, five of eight primary indicators were highly correlated with distance from the source of disturbance: Coral taxa richness, average colony size, the coefficient of variation of colony size, total topographic coral surface area, and live coral surface area. An additional set of exploratory indicators related to rarity, reproductive and spawning mode and taxonomic identity were also screened. The primary indicators demonstrated sufficient precision to detect levels of change that would be applicable in a regional-scale regulatory program.  相似文献   

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Effects of dredging on a coral reef are described. Under water light values at a depth of 12–13 m were reduced from about 30% to less than 1% surface illumination. Colonies of coral species which are inefficient sediment rejectors (Porites astreoides) lost their zooxanthellae and died. Calcification rates in Madracis mirabilis and Agaricia agaricites were observed to decrease by 33%. The period of suppressed calcification exceeds that of environmental disturbance.  相似文献   

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Carboniferous is a global recession period of reef-building. There were fewer reefs at that times due to massive extinction and the great glacial catastrophe in the southern hemisphere in Frasnian/Famennian[1]. So far, however, most of the researches concerning Carboniferous reefs have been limited, which leads to insufficient knowledge regarding the composition, structure, ecological characteristics of reef-building communities, the reef growth models, etc. Interna-tional studies conducted o…  相似文献   

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Herbicide residues including 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T have been detected in the tissues of corals subject to massive mortality in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panamá. Tolerance tests conducted using Pocillopora damicornis demonstrated a toxic effect of a commercial herbicide (incorporating 2,4-D) on this coral.  相似文献   

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An experimental artificial reef was deployed in December 1993 at Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, Hong Kong. This is the first study documenting natural scleractinian coral recruitment onto a stabilised pulverised fuel ash (PFA)-concrete artificial reef. Visible recruits were first recorded 9-10 months after the placement of reef blocks, i.e., in the autumn of 1994. Two scleractinians, Oulastrea crispata and Culicia japonica, were recruited. The recruit density of the former was much greater than the latter. The spatial recruitment pattern of the corals was observed to be affected by the orientation of the attaching surface. O. crispata settled predominantly on the undersides of the reef blocks. There was an edge effect on O. crispata recruitment. C. japonica, however, had a preference for exposed surfaces. O. crispata did not show a preference for block composition whereas C. japonica favoured blocks with high (75% by volume) PFA levels. This shows that PFA-concrete is a potential substratum for artificial reef construction, especially when such reefs aim at rehabilitating corals.  相似文献   

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Inorganic particulate material uptake and release over an oyster reef during a tidal cycle was measured every 11.8 days for one year. There was a net uptake on the flooding tides and a net release on ebbing tides. Particulate uptake was highest in late summer reaching a maximum of 230 g m−2 h−1. Particulate release was also highest in late summer reaching a maximum of 94 g m−2 h−1. On an annual basis, 86.7 kg m−2 y−1 of inorganic particulate material was taken up on flooding tides and 56.5 kg m−2 y−1 was released on ebbing tides. The pattern of uptake on flooding tides and release on ebbing tides was hypothesized to be the result of higher water velocities on ebbing tides.  相似文献   

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Mining and deforestation in the early 20th century, the development of petrochemical industries during the 1950s, and the constant weathering of natural deposits of cinabrium (HgS) have made Golfo Triste, Venezuela, a region impacted by mercury (Hg). We studied the chronology of Hg in coral skeletons of Siderastrea siderea (1 colony, 1900-1996) and Montastraea faveolata (2 colonies, 1930-1999) from Parque Nacional San Esteban. Maximum values of Hg/Ca ratios and standard deviations of Hg enrichment factors occurred in the 1940s, 1960s, and 1980s, and matched maxima of decadal rainfall. Values from the 1950s and 1970s matched periods of abundant but constantly decreasing rainfall and hence were best explained by the combination of runoff and the sudden bioavailability of Hg in the region. This sudden availability likely was associated with activities of the chlorine-caustic soda and fertilizer plants of Morón petrochemical complex, industries that started producing large amounts of Hg in 1958.  相似文献   

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Reefs represent a special type of carbonate trap that plays a key role in the migration, accumulation, and formation of a reservoir. They have commonly been the targets of exploration and development. However, reefs have complex interior structures and easily grow as thin, interbedded geological frames with reef microfacies that include the cap, core, and base of the reef. Because of the inherent drawbacks of seismic signals, including their low frequencies and narrow bandwidths, it is difficult to accurately identify reef reservoirs. Fortunately, the seismic frequency, phase, energy, waveform and other dynamic and geometrical properties can be used to compensate for the energy, expand the frequency bandwidth, and decompose and reconstruct the wavelet to obtain high-resolution seismic data. These data can highlight certain seismic responses of reefs, including boundary reflections, dome-shaped reflections from the reef outline, strong reflections from the reef cap, reflections from the reef bottom, and onlap reflections from the reef flanks. Some impedance response regularities, such as the lower impedance of the reef cap relative to the reef core and biodetritus beach and the fluctuating impedance of the reef-flat complex, are observed by combining log data with geological and high-resolution seismic data for a reef reservoir inversion. These methods were applied to the Changxing Formation in the Yuanba Gas Field. Good prediction results were obtained with a high consistency between the log and seismic data in a comparative analysis with the original seismic data and well logs.  相似文献   

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Field experiments were conducted to investigate the refraction and propagation of ocean waves across two coral reef platforms in the Maldives, central Indian Ocean. A total of seven pressure sensors were deployed on each reef to quantify temporal and spatial variations in wave characteristics across the platform surfaces. Directional wave properties were calculated from high frequency (2 Hz) wave and current records obtained at two locations on each reef and corroborate theoretically predicted propagation pathways derived from an analytical wave refraction model. Results demonstrate that reef geometry critically controls the refraction and propagation behaviour of incident swell across the reef structures. Differences in the magnitude of refraction (approximately 57° and 14°) observed on each reef can be attributed to variations in platform shape and orientation to incident waves. Results demonstrate that reef flat wave patterns define the segmentation of platform surfaces into distinctive high and low wave energy zones. Furthermore, wave focussing has been identified as a major mechanism controlling the transformation of wave energy across the reefs. Results provide the first field‐based validation of wave refraction and convergence on coral reefs and have significant implications for sedimentation processes and the formation of platform deposits. Reef configurations which promote marked wave convergence are more likely to retain sediment on the reef surface, whereas platforms that induce less refraction and changes in the direction of incident waves have a higher potential for the off‐reef evacuation of sediment over leeward reef margins. Results of wave measurements substantiate such projections and provide a first order explanation for the existence and absence of a coral cay on the two study reefs. The study presents empirical evidence of wave refraction and convergence on coral reefs and establishes a baseline for future investigations of hydrodynamic process controls on platform sedimentation and island formation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

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