Article
Geology
Tara R. Clark, George Roff, Tess Chapman, Hannah Markham-Summers, Nicholas M. Hammerman, Faye Liu, Yuexing Feng, John M. Pandolfi, Jian-xin Zhao
Summary: The overall status of many reefs in the Great Barrier Reef is uncertain due to the lack of detailed broad-scale studies. The relative role of various threats in impacting individual reefs is generally unclear. A novel approach using uranium-thorium dating of dead corals was adopted to reconstruct historical disturbance events at Rib and Davies Reefs, providing a reliable benchmark to assess recovery and monitor coral communities effectively.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xin Wang, Yinqiang Li, Mingqing Lin, Zhinan Su, Xiong Liu, Kefu Yu
Summary: High-latitude coral communities have the potential to serve as refuges during global climate change, but this is being hindered by the combined pressure of global climate and anthropogenic activities. A long-term monitoring study on coral communities along the Bailong Peninsula in the northern South China Sea revealed that corals have a scattered and uneven distribution pattern, but the growth of reef-building corals and coral recruitment are improving, which play important roles in regulating the structure of adult coral populations and promoting the development of coral communities. The Bailong Peninsula has the potential to become a refuge for corals if human activities impacting coral restoration potential are controlled.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Allia Rosedy, Isabel Ives, Zarinah Waheed, Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein, Sindia Sosdian, Kenneth Johnson, Nadia Santodomingo
Summary: The impacts of climate change are becoming more evident, but turbid reefs have shown inherent resilience to heat stress events, mitigating the effects of climate change.
REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yifang Ma, Yeman Qin, Kefu Yu, Yinqiang Li, Yating Long, Rui Wang, Tianlai Fan, Wei Jiang, Shendong Xu, Jianxin Zhao
Summary: The study investigates the Holocene coral reef development in the northern South China Sea through a drill core, showing that the reef initiated around 7800 years BP and stopped vertical accretion at 3900 years BP due to sea level changes. The research suggests a rapid rise in relative sea level in the region between 7800 and 6000 years BP, followed by a slower rise and stabilization around 2 meters above the present mean sea level by 3900 years BP.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yip Hung Yeung, James Y. Xie, Yu Zhao, Hiu Yan Yu, Chong Chen, William Weijia Lu, Jian-Wen Qiu
Summary: A 2-year study in subtropical Hong Kong waters revealed that external erosion caused by sea urchin grazing is the primary factor contributing to coral skeletal loss. Controlling the sea urchin population density is crucial to reducing coral erosion.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tianran Chen, Shu Li, Jianxin Zhao, Yuexing Feng
Summary: Inshore coral habitats are facing high risks of loss due to climate warming and regional-scale human impacts. Using uranium-thorium dating, researchers reconstructed a history of extensive coral loss and changes in coral community structure over approximately 100 years at Weizhou Island. Major coral mortalities have increased in frequency and severity since the 1950s, with peaks in 1960, 1984, and 1998. The study highlights the importance of addressing degradation and controlling chronic disturbances to sustain inshore coral habitats like those of Weizhou Island in the northern South China Sea.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Leilei Jiang, Kefu Yu, Tao Han, Shichen Tao, Huiling Zhang
Summary: This study focuses on the seasonal and interannual variations of sea-surface temperature in the northern South China Sea, utilizing a 228-year-long record. The reconstructed data suggests that the Roman Warm Period was cooler compared to the 20th century, and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation activity has intensified over time.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jeanne Bloomberg, Daniel M. Holstein
Summary: As shallow coral populations decline globally, mesophotic coral ecosystems are proposed as potential refugia for coral species. The study assesses the refuge potential of mesophotic reefs in the US Virgin Islands for Montastraea cavernosa, with deeper coral experiencing slightly lower reproductive potential. Changes in coral cover and sex ratios primarily drive variations in oocyte production over depth, with mesophotic reefs playing a key role in providing oocytes despite lower proportion of females. The persistence of mesophotic reefs as reproductive refuges is questioned due to disease perturbations affecting deeper reefs.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lauren T. Toth, Travis A. Courtney, Michael A. Colella, Selena A. Kupfner Johnson, Robert R. Ruzicka
Summary: Coral-reef degradation is causing reductions in reef-building capacity and its associated functions. The persistence of these functions depends on coral-reef management's ability to balance reef accretion and erosion. This study reconstructs the carbonate budgets of Florida Keys reefs from 1996 to 2019 and finds that most reefs had positive budgets historically, but declines in coral populations caused a shift to negative budgets. The study also suggests that coral restoration has the potential to mitigate declines in reef accretion.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Adi Zweifler (Zvifler), Michael O'Leary, Kyle Morgan, Nicola K. Browne
Summary: This review highlights the importance of turbid reefs in coral reef conservation efforts, discussing their resilience to climate change impacts and the need for improved understanding of their responses to environmental change. Turbid reefs are classified based on turbidity regime and sources of sediment input, with natural and anthropogenic turbid reefs identified as distinct types with different conservation status. As the geographic range of turbid reefs is expected to expand, efforts to enhance our knowledge of their composition, function, and resilience will be crucial for global coral reef conservation.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Arne A. S. Adam, Rodrigo A. Garcia, Ronen Galaiduk, Sean Tomlinson, Ben Radford, Luke Thomas, Zoe T. Richards
Summary: Using species distribution models, this study evaluated changes in suitable coral habitat and biodiversity patterns in Western Australia under current and future climate scenarios. The results showed that coral species are predicted to expand towards higher latitudes under extreme climate scenarios, leading to a decline in coral biodiversity at low latitude tropical regions. These findings suggest the importance of urgent action to prevent further loss of tropical coral communities and ecosystem services due to climate change.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Meixia Zhao, Yu Zhong, Shuqi Zhang, Haiyang Zhang, Hongqiang Yang, Qi Shi, Hongqiang Yan, Haoya Tong, Weihai Xu, Wen Yan
Summary: This study analyzed the NK-1 core from Meiji Reef in the South China Sea, revealing the development model of Holocene coral reefs and the impact of coral community diversity on reef growth. Acropora corals were identified as the main reef builders during the Holocene, with their growth rate and dispersion method playing a crucial role in the vertical accumulation of reefs.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alex S. J. Wyatt, James J. Leichter, Libe Washburn, Li Kui, Peter J. Edmunds, Scott C. Burgess
Summary: Marine heatwaves hidden beneath the surface, induced by ocean eddies and internal waves, pose a threat to coastal ecosystems by causing unexpected heating and severe coral bleaching and mortality. Previous assessments of marine heatwaves (MHWs) have mainly relied on sea-surface temperature data, without considering heating across ecosystem depths. This study used a unique combination of satellite data, high-resolution in-situ temperature measurements, and sea level anomalies to reveal subsurface MHWs that were paradoxical compared to surface temperature metrics and associated with unexpected coral bleaching.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mykle L. Hoban, Michael Bunce, Brian W. Bowen
Summary: This study used environmental DNA metabarcoding to assess biodiversity patterns in mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) in the Hawaiian Archipelago. The results show significant community differences between depth zones, with fishes not showing distinct zonation. This suggests that MCEs may serve as refugia for fishes, but invertebrate communities in deeper areas are distinct, indicating limited connectivity among reef fauna.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aaron Israel Muniz-Castillo, Jesus Ernesto Arias-Gonzalez
Summary: The research findings indicate that depth is the most relevant variable related to coral bleaching and severity, with deeper reefs being most affected; in addition, coral reefs with higher structural complexity are also among the most affected. Accumulated heat stress and thermal variation were identified as important drivers of coral bleaching.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xi Liu, Wenfeng Deng, Yangrui Guo, Gangjian Wei
Summary: An improved apparatus with properly sized accessories has been developed to address the operability issues of traditional carbonate-phosphoric acid digestion, providing advantages in terms of cost and operability and showing suitability for the analysis of carbonates.
ANALYTICAL LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Shuai Wang, Wenbo Rao, Jin Qian, Ke Jin, Kun Li, Yuexing Feng, Jianxin Zhao
Summary: This study analyzed the surface sediments of the Three Gorges Reservoir and its main tributaries, revealing that regional sources contributed about 40% to reservoir sediments, distal sources about 30%, and proximal sources about 30%. Dam construction was found to be the primary factor affecting sediment deposition in the reservoir, emphasizing the need for more attention to regional sediment supply in the future.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xi Liu, Wenfeng Deng, Hao Cui, Xuefei Chen, Guanqiang Cai, Ti Zeng, Gangjian Wei
Summary: The stable carbon isotope composition in coral skeletons can be used to reconstruct the evolution of dissolved inorganic carbon in surface seawater. The response of coral delta C-13 to the anthropogenic Suess effect may have changed since around 2000 due to coral acclimatization to external environmental stressors. The ability of coral to regulate the source and utilization of DIC may lead to a change in the response of coral delta C-13 to the anthropogenic Suess effect as oceans become more acidic.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yangrui Guo, Wenfeng Deng, Gangjian Wei
Summary: This study presents experimental constraints on the kinetic fractionation factors (KFFs) associated with rapid carbonate growth and their temperature dependence. The results provide important implications for new isotope fractionation models for natural carbonates.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Geology
Yun-Lin An, Kai Luo, Jia-Xi Zhou, Ai Nguyen, Mao-Da Lu, Qing-Tian Meng, Qi An
Summary: This paper investigates the origin of the newly discovered Devonian carbonate-hosted Banbianjie Ge-Zn deposit in South China. The deposit is rich in Ge and sulfide ores, and the mineralization formed in a weakly acidic, reduced, and low-temperature environment.
ORE GEOLOGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yuxuan Wei, Wenfeng Deng, Jinlong Ma, Xuefei Chen, Ti Zeng, Gangjian Wei
Summary: This study investigated the climate and environmental significance of stable strontium isotope composition (delta Sr-88) in coral skeletons. The results showed that delta Sr-88 values were not significantly correlated with factors like sea surface temperature, but showed a significant correlation with total solar irradiance (TSI). TSI may play a major role in controlling coral delta Sr-88 values at the study site.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Hao Cui, Wenfeng Deng, Xi Liu, Huiling Kang, Xuefei Chen, Ti Zeng, Guanqiang Cai, Jian-xin Zhao, Gangjian Wei
Summary: The South China Sea is a major source of water vapor for China and East Asia, with its precipitation variability controlled by the East Asian Monsoon and El Ninô-Southern Oscillation. However, the lack of long-term observational records limits our understanding of decadal variability in South China Sea precipitation. Therefore, climate proxies are necessary to obtain preinstrumental records and improve predictions.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ning Wang, Chengde Shen, Ping Ding, Xingfang Ding, Kexin Liu, Weidong Sun, Xuefei Chen, Wenfeng Deng, Gangjian Wei
Summary: Ocean circulation has significant impacts on the marine environment and climate change. However, the seasonal to centennial variations of the paleocirculation in the South China Sea (SCS) and their driving forces remain unclear. This study reconstructed a high-resolution coral record to investigate the seasonal variations of SCS ocean circulation during a grand solar minimum period, providing insights into the driving forces of ocean circulation and climate change in the SCS.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Huimin Guo, Wenfeng Deng, Xuefei Chen, Xi Liu, Ti Zeng, Jian-xin Zhao, Gangjian Wei
Summary: Seasonal sea surface temperature variations during the Medieval Climate Anomaly in the Qiongdong upwelling area of the South China Sea were reconstructed using coral records. The study found a negative correlation between summer SST and the East Asian Summer Monsoon, while winter SST showed no correlation with the East Asian Winter Monsoon. The differences in summer and winter SST averages between the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Current Warm Period were attributed to variations in the intensity of the East Asian monsoons.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Namik Aysal, Marcel Guillong, Tamara Bayanova, Mayuko Fukuyama, Nicole Leonard, Isak Yilmaz, Elif Varol, Fatma Sisman Tukel, Yusuf Kaan Kadioglu, Nurullah Hanilci, Fulya Uzun, Ersin Kaygisiz
Summary: Gem quality andradite-rich garnet from Turkey has been identified as a potential natural secondary reference material for U-Pb dating. U-Pb dating was performed using different methods in multiple labs, yielding consistent results. Another andradite from Turkey can also be used as a secondary reference material with detailed imaging. The assigned weighted mean age of the garnet (20.4 +/- 0.5 Ma, 2s) is proposed as a reference value for 2023. These findings suggest that the garnet will play an important role in the development of garnet geochronology.
GEOSTANDARDS AND GEOANALYTICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geology
Tara R. Clark, George Roff, Tess Chapman, Hannah Markham-Summers, Nicholas M. Hammerman, Faye Liu, Yuexing Feng, John M. Pandolfi, Jian-xin Zhao
Summary: The overall status of many reefs in the Great Barrier Reef is uncertain due to the lack of detailed broad-scale studies. The relative role of various threats in impacting individual reefs is generally unclear. A novel approach using uranium-thorium dating of dead corals was adopted to reconstruct historical disturbance events at Rib and Davies Reefs, providing a reliable benchmark to assess recovery and monitor coral communities effectively.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Xuefei Chen, Wenfeng Deng, Hangfang Xiao, Huimin Guo, Ti Zeng, Jian-xin Zhao, Gangjian Wei
Summary: Researchers have examined fossil corals from the South China Sea and found that the 4.2 ka BP event was characterized by cooler climate and meridional dry-wet patterns in East Asia. Additionally, their examination of coral records from other ocean regions suggests that SST anomalies in the tropical Pacific played a crucial role in driving hydrology shifts in East Asia during this time period.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Kai Kong, Yangrui Guo, Wenfeng Deng, Gangjian Wei
Summary: Carbonate clumped isotope, quantified by ?(47) value, has wide application potential in Earth science. A recently proposed carbonate standardisation scheme has proven to improve interlaboratory comparability in ?(47) measurement. Developing traceable and supplementary in-house reference materials may become necessary for future applications.
GEOSTANDARDS AND GEOANALYTICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Hongqiang Yang, Wenfeng Deng, Hong Yan, Feifei Zhang
Summary: This special issue focuses on the evolution of coral reefs in the South China Sea and aims to enhance our understanding of Holocene environmental and climate changes in the region and their driving mechanisms. It consists of twenty-four papers organized into seven themes, covering various aspects of coral reefs and their records. The findings of this special issue contribute to a better understanding of Holocene paleoclimates and paleoenvironments in the South China Sea, as well as the development and protection of coral reef systems.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Fengling Yu, Adam D. Switzer, Zhuo Zheng, Bishan Chen, Jeremy Pile, Harry Jol, Zhaoquan Huang, Annie Lau
Summary: This study examines the Holocene evolution history of Qing'ao Embayment in southern China to gain a better understanding of how sediment-starved coastal systems respond to climate-driven sea level change. The results show that the rates of sea level change and sediment accretion are the major controlling factors for the geomorphological evolution of sediment-starving coastal systems. The evolution of Qing'ao embayment differs from sediment-supply rich large-river estuary/deltas in its response to Holocene sea level change, including delayed sediment accumulation and agricultural activity.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2024)