Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Michael D. Fox, Anne L. Cohen, Randi D. Rotjan, Sangeeta Mangubhai, Stuart A. Sandin, Jennifer E. Smith, Simon R. Thorrold, Laura Dissly, Nathan R. Mollica, David Obura
Summary: Global ocean warming has led to declines in coral reefs, but research in the central equatorial Pacific suggests that selective mortality during recurrent heatwaves may help coral communities adapt to future warming. Identifying and facilitating conditions for coral survival and recovery are crucial steps towards successful stewardship of coral reefs in the 21st century climate change.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Marine
Logajothiswaran Ambalavanan, Shumpei Iehata, Rosanne Fletcher, Emylia H. Stevens, Sandra C. Zainathan
Summary: This review discusses the discovery of viruses in the marine environment and their hosts, viral diversity in corals, presence of virus in corallivorous fish communities in reef ecosystems, detection methods, and occurrence of marine viral communities in marine sponges.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mary K. Donovan, Deron E. Burkepile, Chelsey Kratochwill, Tom Shlesinger, Shannon Sully, Thomas A. Oliver, Gregor Hodgson, Jan Freiwald, Robert van Woesik
Summary: Climate change poses a serious threat to coral reefs, leading to coral bleaching and mortality, and global mass coral mortality events highlight the importance of mitigating climate change to protect coral reefs. Local stressors such as high abundance of macroalgae or urchins intensify coral loss and in combination with increasing heat stress, exacerbate coral mortality. Effective local management practices, combined with global efforts to mitigate climate change, offer hope for the survival of coral reefs in the Anthropocene era.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Claire L. Ross, Ben French, Emily K. Lester, Shaun K. Wilson, Paul B. Day, Michael D. Taylor, Neville Barrett
Summary: Many temperate reefs are experiencing a shift towards a greater abundance of tropical species in response to marine heatwaves and long-term ocean warming, but the study in South-west Western Australia found that coral cover was generally low (<5%) with primarily Turbinaria spp. and Pocillopora spp. dominating coral assemblages at most sites.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Heather A. Stewart, Jennifer L. Wright, Matthew Carrigan, Andrew H. Altieri, David Kline, Rafael J. Araujo
Summary: This study provides a scientific understanding and classification of nested mangrove-coral (CMC) habitats, and reports the discovery of a highly rich CMC habitat type in Panama. Based on literature review and field data, the researchers created a classification framework for CMC habitat categories and used GIS modeling to predict potential global distribution of CMC habitats.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nadiezhda Santodomingo, Chris Perry, Zarinah Waheed, Muhammad Ali Bin Syed Hussein, Allia Rosedy, Kenneth G. Johnson
Summary: This study documented the magnitude, types, sources, and potential impacts of marine litter on six coral reefs in East Sabah. The research found that plastics dominate the litter, primarily single-use items, with discarded fishing gear also making up a significant portion. Litter pollution is more severe closer to urban developments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Catherine E. E. Sheppard, Gareth J. J. Williams, Dan A. A. Exton, Sally A. A. Keith
Summary: Biodiversity loss is negatively impacting ecosystem functions and services globally. This study focuses on the importance of co-occurrence of different functional groups in addition to functional diversity for the coral reef benthic state. The results suggest that protecting specific herbivorous fish functional groups is crucial for promoting coral accretion.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yip Hung Yeung, James Y. Xie, Chun Kit Kwok, Keith Kei, Put Ang, Leo Lai Chan, Walter Dellisanti, Chi Chiu Cheang, Wing Kuen Chow, Jian-Wen Qiu
Summary: The study identified five community types in Hong Kong's coral communities, with the most common one dominated by massive and upward-plating corals. Coral cover and generic richness were negatively correlated with water quality parameters, indicating constraints on the development of coral communities. Management actions are recommended to reduce bioerosion and monitor sites affected by bleaching.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joan Kleypas, Denis Allemand, Ken Anthony, Andrew C. Baker, Michael W. Beck, Lynne Zeitlin Hale, Nathalie Hilmi, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Terry Hughes, Les Kaufman, Hajime Kayanne, Alexandre K. Magnan, Elizabeth Mcleod, Peter Mumby, Stephen Palumbi, Robert H. Richmond, Baruch Rinkevich, Robert S. Steneck, Christian R. Voolstra, David Wachenfeld, Jean-Pierre Gattuso
Summary: Climate change poses a growing threat to coral reefs, highlighting the importance of climate mitigation in preventing ecosystem collapse. Innovative actions are needed to enhance reef resilience, alongside strong political and social commitment as well as sufficient funding for effective protection and conservation measures.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yu Zhao, Yu Sheung Law, Xiaohui Zhai, Kai Zhou, Mingru Chen, Jian-Wen Qiu
Summary: Coral communities in China's Great Bay Area have been severely degraded, with live coral cover and generic richness negatively correlated with nutrient pollution.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christopher R. Hemingson, Michalis Mihalitsis, David R. Bellwood
Summary: The diversity of colors in fish communities is directly related to the composition of the local environment, with areas of complex coral cover supporting more diverse and brighter colored fish species. However, global environmental changes and human-induced disturbances can lead to significant declines in the perception of color in fish communities.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jacey C. Van Wert, Leila Ezzat, Katrina S. Munsterman, Kaitlyn Landfield, Nina M. D. Schiettekatte, Valeriano Parravicini, Jordan M. Casey, Simon J. Brandl, Deron E. Burkepile, Erika J. Eliason
Summary: Consumers play a crucial role in nutrient cycling through excretion and egestion. While the excretion of fish-derived inorganic nutrients has been studied extensively, the importance of egestion for nutrient cycling has been neglected. This study investigated the fecal nutrient content of different fish species on a coral reef and found that different species exhibit unique fecal nutrient concentrations.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Antonio Punzon, Lucia Lopez-Lopez, Jose Manuel Gonzalez-Irusta, Izaskun Preciado, Manuel Hidalgo, Alberto Serrano, Elena Tel, Raquel Somavilla, Julia Polo, Marian Blanco, Susana Ruiz-Pico, Olaya Fernandez-Zapico, Francisco Velasco, Enric Massuti
Summary: Most demersal species in the Northeast Atlantic are experiencing shifts in distribution due to global warming, leading to profound changes in demersal communities. The Community Weighted Mean Temperature (CWMT) index is used to link the thermal preference of demersal fish communities and temperature, showing potential to explore and anticipate climate change effects on demersal communities under different warming scenarios.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Mai Lazarus, Jonathan Belmaker
Summary: Several common indices captured similar complexity facets, while an innovative family of structural diversity indices, representing the diversity of physical elements, captured distinct complexity facets not represented by existing indices. No single index was consistently superior; however, vertical relief was consistently included as a top predictor of fish assemblage structure. Interestingly, the most commonly used index, rugosity, was a poor predictor.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Review
Oceanography
Yulong Yao, Chunzai Wang
Summary: This study reveals the distinct differences in the mean and trend between marine heatwaves (MHWs) and marine cold-spells (MCSs) across global coral reef zones. MHWs are projected to increase in frequency and duration, while MCSs are expected to decrease. Upper-ocean warming is identified as the main driver of the increase in MHWs and the decrease in MCSs. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the projected changes in extreme El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events for the occurrence of MHWs and coral bleaching in tropical oceans.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
M. H. Schleyer, L. Bigot, Y. Benayahu
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Oceanography
Margaux Noyon, Tamaryn Morris, David Walker, Jenny Huggett
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART II-TOPICAL STUDIES IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2019)
Article
Oceanography
Jethan Shaun d'Hotman, Neil Malan, Charine Collins, Marc de Vos, Rick Lumpkin, Tamaryn Morris, Juliet Hermes
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2019)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. H. Schleyer, N. J. Downey-Breedt, Y. Benayahu
MARINE BIODIVERSITY
(2019)
Article
Oceanography
T. Morris, B. Aguiar-Gonzalez, I Ansorge, J. Hermes
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elisa Bayraktarov, Anastazia T. Banaszak, Phanor Montoya Maya, Joanie Kleypas, Jesus E. Arias-Gonzalez, Macarena Blanco, Johanna Calle-Trivino, Nufar Charuvi, Camilo Cortes-Useche, Victor Galvan, Miguel A. Garcia Salgado, Mariana Gnecco, Sergio D. Guendulain-Garcia, Edwin A. Hernandez Delgado, Jose A. Marin Moraga, Maria Fernanda Maya, Sandra Mendoza Quiroz, Samantha Mercado Cervantes, Megan Morikawa, Gabriela Nava, Valeria Pizarro, Rita Sellares-Blasco, Samuel E. Suleiman Ramos, Tatiana Villalobos Cubero, Maria F. Villalpando, Sarah Frias-Torres
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sean N. Porter, Kerry J. Sink, Michael H. Schleyer
Summary: In Maputaland, coral reefs experienced the global coral bleaching event of 2016 with relatively low thermal stress, and latitude and cumulative daily DHW were significantly related to the bleaching index. The upwelling of cooler water may offer temporary refuge to coral communities, but this protection may be limited by future warming of the upwelled water due to global warming.
Article
Oceanography
Laura Braby, Julie Deshayes, Lisa Beal, Tamaryn Morris, Guillaume Novelli, James Maitland, Isabelle Ansorge, Juliet Hermes
Summary: The seasonal variability of the Agulhas Current is characterized by stronger and warmer waters in summer, providing nutrients and oxygen to the continental shelf, and weaker and cooler waters in winter, with reduced equatorward flow of North Atlantic Deep Water.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
G. Rautenbach, J. Hermes, I Halo, T. Morris, J. Veitch
Summary: The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is the only subtropical coral reef system in South Africa, located along the coastline of northern KwaZulu-Natal. Two cooling events were identified over a 12-month period, and they were confirmed to be upwelling events. The physical structure of the canyons within the park may enhance the upwelling events and influence the affected ecosystems.
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
S. C. S. Laing, M. H. Schleyer, J. K. Turpie
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2020)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tamaryn Morris, Tarron Lamont
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Atefeh Zendehboudi, Azam Mohammadi, Sina Dobaradaran, Gabriel E. De-la-Torre, Bahman Ramavandi, Seyed Enayat Hashemi, Reza Saeedi, Emran Moradpour Tayebi, Ahmad Vafaee, Amirhossein Darabi
Summary: This study investigated the characteristics and ecological risks of microplastics (MPs) in ballast water for the first time, and found high levels of MP pollution. These findings contribute to our understanding of the sources and risks of microplastics in marine ecosystems.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rose Boahemaa Pinto, Linda Bogerd, Martine van der Ploeg, Kwame Duah, Remko Uijlenhoet, Tim H. M. van Emmerik
Summary: Catchment-scale plastic pollution assessments provide insights into the sources, sinks, and pathways of plastic pollution. We propose an approach to quantify macroplastic transport and density in the Odaw catchment, Ghana, and find that the urban riverine zone has the highest transport, while the urban tidal zone has the highest riverbank and land macroplastic density.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aliya Baidourela, Qian Sun, Gongxin Yang, Umut Halik, Zhongkai Dong, Kaixu Cai, Guili Sun, Wenya Zhang, Sisi Cheng
Summary: The study focused on heavy metal pollution in the green vegetation of a suburban industrial area in Tuokexun County, Xinjiang, China. The results showed that the overall level of heavy metal pollution in the soil was minor, with mercury (Hg) being the most severe contamination, likely caused by human activities. The composition of heavy metal elements in trees was more stable compared to grass and shrubs, with varying concentrations across different vegetation. Shrubbery was found to be the most effective in heavy metal restoration, and there were disparities in heavy metal enrichment among different vegetation types.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
James H. Bridson, Hayden Masterton, Beatrix Theobald, Regis Risani, Fraser Doake, Jessica A. Wallbank, Stefan D. M. Maday, Gavin Lear, Robert Abbel, Dawn A. Smith, Joanne M. Kingsbury, Olga Pantos, Grant L. Northcott, Sally Gaw
Summary: Plastic pollution has significant environmental impacts, largely due to chemical additives. However, the behavior of plastic additives in marine environments is not well understood. A marine deployment experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of weathering on the extractables profile of four types of plastics in New Zealand over a period of nine months. The concentration of additives in polyethylene and oxo-degradable polyethylene was strongly influenced by artificial weathering, while polyamide 6 and polyethylene terephthalate showed minimal change. These findings emphasize the importance of considering leaching and weathering effects on plastic composition when assessing the potential impact and risk of plastic pollution in receiving environments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alan G. Scarlett, Francis D. Spilsbury, Steven J. Rowland, Marthe Monique Gagnon, Kliti Grice
Summary: This study used diamondoid hydrocarbon distributions to identify the sources of environmental oil contamination. A suite of 20 diamondoids was found to accumulate in fish adipose tissue. The scatter plots of indices between fish and exposure oils showed a close to ideal 1:1 relationship, which can be used to determine the origin of the oil.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shan Jiang, Mengmeng Wan, Kun Lin, Yanshan Chen, Rui Wang, Liju Tan, Jiangtao Wang
Summary: In this study, the concentration, composition, distribution, and sources of PCBs in surface seawater of the Bohai Bay were analyzed. The results showed that PCBs in the Bohai Bay had high concentrations and were primarily derived from land-based sources such as port activities and river inputs. The PCBs in the Bohai Bay may come from commercial PCBs and their incineration products, municipal landfills, wood and coal combustion, and industrial activities, etc.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Icaro S. A. Porto, Saulo V. A. Dantas, Caio S. A. Felix, Francisco A. S. Cunha, Jailson B. de Andrade, Sergio L. C. Ferreira
Summary: This study evaluated the risks of mercury levels in sardines consumed by low-income population in Salvador, Brazil. The results showed that the mercury content in the sampled sardines posed no risks to human health. This study is significant as most sardines in Salvador come from Todos os Santos Bay, which has a history of mercury contamination.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jiahui Chen, Chengyu Yuan, Guanqun Zhai, Guangcheng Chen, Heng Zhu, Jun Liu, Yong Ye
Summary: This study investigated the combined influences of species selection and site elevation on greenhouse gas fluxes from restored mangrove soils. The results suggest that Avicennia marina should be selected for mangrove restoration to minimize carbon release and reduce the influence of greenhouse gas fluxes on the global greenhouse effect.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emmanuel Onyeabor, Uju Obuka
Summary: The Gulf of Guinea region in Africa is a significant area for coastal countries, playing a vital role in their economic and environmental development. This study aims to reduce marine plastic pollution in the region by utilizing legal instruments.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yuanli Liu, Stephan Luttjohann, Alvise Vianello, Claudia Lorenz, Fan Liu, Jes Vollertsen
Summary: Large area attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (LAATR-FTIR) is a novel technique for detecting small microplastics, with limited accuracy for large microplastics. However, it shows promise in homogeneous matrices. The spectra quality is comparable between transmission mode and LAATR mode.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Phuc T. D. Le, Andrew M. Fischer, Britta D. Hardesty, Heidi J. Auman, Chris Wilcox
Summary: This study explores the relationship between ocean currents and the accumulation of floating marine debris (FMD) and finds that higher concentrations of FMD are associated with frontal frequencies (FF). FMD is primarily trapped in accumulation zones between fronts and the coastline, which have high biodiversity value.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rosa Sawan, Perine Doyen, Florence Viudes, Rachid Amara, Celine Mahfouz
Summary: Few studies have examined the impact of urbanization and meteorological events on microplastics discharged into the sea through rivers. Surface water samples were collected from two Lebanese rivers, with differing degrees of urbanization, during dry and wet periods. The results showed that the most industrialized river had a significantly higher abundance of microplastics compared to the less-industrialized river. There was also a correlation between particle contamination and the season at each site, with microplastic concentrations highest on the first day of the wet season. These findings highlight the importance of considering meteorological events in accurately assessing plastic pollution influx into coastal waters.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katherine R. Shaw, Jonathan L. Whitney, Eileen M. Nalley, Madeline C. Schmidbauer, Megan J. Donahue, Jesse Black, Raquel N. Corniuk, Kellie Teague, Rachel Sandquist, Catherine Pirkle, Rachel Dacks, Max Sudnovsky, Jennifer M. Lynch
Summary: This study examines the ingestion of plastic in reef fish in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Plastic particles were found in the gastrointestinal tracts of multiple fish species. However, further analysis revealed that these particles were actually natural materials and posed no threat to human consumers.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Revati Hardikar, C. K. Haridevi, Shantaj Deshbhratar
Summary: This study investigated the variability in phytoplankton functional structure using a trait-based approach and explored the relationship between species traits and environmental factors, as well as their impact on ecosystem functioning. The results revealed that morphological traits, temperature, and ammonia played a decisive role in the seasonal succession of phytoplankton species. It was found that certain traits favored higher biomass production but might hinder energy transfer efficiency. The strong correlation between environmental variables and phytoplankton functional structure supports the practical implementation of a trait-based approach in studying phytoplankton community dynamics under different environmental conditions.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Engki A. Kisnarti, Nining Sari Ningsih, Mutiara R. Putri, Nani Hendiarti, Bernhard Mayer
Summary: This study examines the movement patterns of plastic marine debris in Indonesian waters, revealing that Indonesia contributes significantly to transboundary marine debris in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the South China Sea. Most of the debris remains in Indonesian waters and moves back and forth due to the influence of monsoon currents.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2024)