Article
Environmental Sciences
Kalyan De, Sabyasachi Sautya, Santosh Gaikwad, Aditi Mitra, Mandar Nanajkar
Summary: This study evaluates the accumulation, origin, and fate of marine debris in the intertidal coral habitats of Mumbai, India. The results indicate that marine debris pollution poses a threat to coastal coral communities, and adopting integrated coastal zone management methods and policy frameworks can help mitigate the impact of debris in coastal environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hannah C. Barkley, Thomas A. Oliver, Ariel A. Halperin, Noah V. Pomeroy, Joy N. Smith, Rebecca M. Weible, Charles W. Young, Courtney S. Couch, Russell E. Brainard, Jennifer C. Samson
Summary: The study evaluates coral reef community structure and reef processes across a strong natural gradient in pH and aragonite saturation state. It finds that net carbonate accretion rates are sensitive to declining omega(ar), while benthic ecological metrics show fewer direct responses to lower-omega(ar) conditions. This highlights the importance of monitoring coral reef net carbonate accretion as a critical tool for assessing the long-term impacts of ocean acidification.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ariel K. Pezner, Travis A. Courtney, Heather N. Page, Sarah N. Giddings, Cory M. Beatty, Michael D. DeGrandpre, Andreas J. Andersson
Summary: Spatial and temporal carbonate chemistry variability on coral reefs is influenced by a combination of seawater hydrodynamics, geomorphology, and biogeochemical processes, with their relative impacts differing by site. Lateral variability in carbonate chemistry parameters was found to be larger than vertical variability, and this variability was observed in conjunction with depth gradients, although it varied between sampling events depending on factors such as time of day and current flow modifications.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lauren T. Toth, Travis A. Courtney, Michael A. Colella, Rob R. Ruzicka
Summary: SCTLD has had an unprecedented impact on the western Atlantic coral-reef ecosystems, causing a decline in reef-accretion potential and altering the composition of coral assemblages. The loss of reef-building corals has significantly decreased carbonate production, leading to a decline in their capacity for growth.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kay L. Davis, Andrew P. Colefax, James P. Tucker, Brendan P. Kelaher, Isaac R. Santos
Summary: Global coral reef calcification is primarily driven by depth and benthic calcifier cover. Repeatedly studied reefs are experiencing an annual decline in calcification rates of 4.3% and an increase in organic productivity of 3% since 1970. This indicates a shift in essential metabolic processes of coral reef ecosystems, potentially leading to net dissolution worldwide around 2054.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gregory P. Asner, Nicholas R. Vaughn, Roberta E. Martin, Shawna A. Foo, Joseph Heckler, Brian J. Neilson, Jamison M. Gove
Summary: Corals are important habitat-building organisms in tropical reefs, supporting a quarter of all ocean species and providing ecosystem services to millions of people. However, marine heat waves threaten coral reefs by killing individual colonies and reducing diversity. This study used aerial imaging spectroscopy to monitor coral mortality during a major heat wave in Hawaii, and found that certain reefs had lower coral loss and therefore may serve as refugia. Human and environmental factors, such as coastal development and sedimentation levels, played a role in differentiating resilient reefs from more vulnerable ones.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cheryl A. Logan, John P. Dunne, James S. Ryan, Marissa L. Baskett, Simon D. Donner
Summary: The study examines the role of algal symbiont shuffling and evolution in coral resilience to global warming and ocean acidification, highlighting that shuffling is more effective than evolution. It also reveals global vulnerability patterns due to the interaction of warming rate and adaptive capacity, emphasizing the importance of considering species' ability to adaptively respond to climate change in conservation decisions.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Tim R. McClanahan
Summary: The study in Kenya examined the long-term consequences of managing overfished fisheries through gear restrictions or closures. The research found that while both interventions showed positive responses in catch per unit effort (CPUE) trends, the changes were more sustained in the closure-adjacent landing sites compared to the gear-restricted sites. This highlights the potential benefits of closures in preventing suboptimal yields and fisheries collapse in nearshore East African reefs.
Article
Environmental Sciences
F. M. Mendrik, T. B. Henry, H. Burdett, C. R. Hackney, C. Waller, D. R. Parsons, S. J. Hennige
Summary: The study found that the impact of microplastic on corals depends on the type of microplastic, coral species, and temperature. Microplastic fibers reduced the photosynthetic capability of Acropora sp., while exposure to microplastic spheres significantly improved photosynthetic performance in Seriatopora hystrix.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Samuel A. H. Kekuewa, Travis A. Courtney, Tyler Cyronak, Theodor Kindeberg, Bradley D. Eyre, Laura Stoltenberg, Andreas J. Andersson
Summary: This study reveals that the variability in seawater physicochemical properties is mainly driven by solar irradiance and tidal cycles, along with local geomorphology, resulting in unpredictable changes across different spatial and temporal scales. Therefore, a combined approach is necessary to develop predictive capability for seawater properties on coral reefs.
AQUATIC GEOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Carolina Castro-Sanguino, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Angus Thompson, Nicholas H. Wolff, Renata Ferrari, Barbara Robson, Marites M. Magno-Canto, Marji Puotinen, Katharina E. Fabricius, Sven Uthicke
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of multiple stressors on coral cover and performance in the Central and Southern Great Barrier Reef, finding that water quality metrics are better predictors of performance than state. Additionally, the response of different coral groups to stressors varies, highlighting the need to evaluate performance metrics to prioritize local management interventions.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jaroslaw Stolarski, Ismael Coronado, Jack G. Murphy, Marcelo Kitahara, Katarzyna Janiszewska, Maciej Mazur, Anne M. Gothmann, Anne-Sophie Bouvier, Johanna Marin-Carbonne, Michelle L. Taylor, Andrea M. Quattrini, Catherine S. McFadden, John A. Higgins, Laura F. Robinson, Anders Meibom
Summary: One of the most conserved traits in the evolution of biomineralizing organisms is the taxon-specific selection of skeletal minerals. The modern asymbiotic scleractinian coral Paraconotrochus antarcticus in the Southern Ocean forms a two-component carbonate skeleton, with high-Mg calcite in the inner structure and aragonite in the outer structure, similar to the Cretaceous Coelosmilia. This highlights a close phylogenetic relationship and suggests the capability of forming bimineralic structures in scleractinian corals dates back at least 100 million years.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sara E. Cannon, Simon D. Donner, Angela Liu, Pedro Gonzalez C. Espinosa, Andrew H. Baird, Julia K. Baum, Andrew G. Bauman, Maria Beger, Cassandra E. Benkwitt, Matthew J. Birt, Yannick Chancerelle, Joshua E. Cinner, Nicole L. Crane, Vianney Denis, Martial Depczynski, Nur Fadli, Douglas Fenner, Christopher J. Fulton, Yimnang Golbuu, Nicholas A. J. Graham, James Guest, Hugo B. Harrison, Jean-Paul A. Hobbs, Andrew S. Hoey, Thomas H. Holmes, Peter Houk, Fraser A. Januchowski-Hartley, Jamaluddin Jompa, Chao-Yang Kuo, Gino Valentino Limmon, Yuting V. Lin, Timothy R. McClanahan, Dominic Muenzel, Michelle J. Paddack, Serge Planes, Morgan S. Pratchett, Ben Radford, James Davis Reimer, Zoe T. Richards, Claire L. Ross, John Rulmal, Brigitte Sommer, Gareth J. Williams, Shaun K. Wilson
Summary: Scientists and managers often assume a positive relationship between local human disturbance and macroalgae on coral reefs, but this study finds that specific macroalgae taxa may respond differently to human disturbance. By examining genus-level monitoring data, the study reveals that no genera were positively correlated with all human disturbance metrics, highlighting the need to consider specific algae divisions or genera in assessments. The convention of using macroalgae percent cover as an indicator of local human disturbance may overlook important signatures of anthropogenic threats to reefs.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
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
Environmental Sciences
Suman Nama, Ashna Shanmughan, Binaya Bhusan Nayak, Shashi Bhushan, Karankumar Ramteke
Summary: Coral reefs, as the most spectacular underwater creation, play crucial roles in ecosystem functioning and coastal community livelihood. However, marine debris poses a severe threat to these sensitive habitats and their associated organisms. Despite scientific attention, data regarding the sources, abundance, distribution, and potential consequences of marine debris on reef ecosystems are lacking. This review aims to provide an overview of the current status and impacts of marine debris, with emphasis on sources, distribution, affected species, and management strategies, as well as highlighting the adhesion mechanisms and diseases caused by microplastics to coral polyps.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mathieu Mongin, Mark E. Baird, Andrew Lenton, Craig Neill, John Akl
Summary: The Great Barrier Reef is facing threats from climate change and local stressors, with its condition degrading over recent decades. This study demonstrates that artificial ocean alkalinisation can help reverse the impact of global ocean acidification on the GBR reefs, but it would be expensive, have unknown risks, and require continuous effort until atmospheric CO2 concentrations return to today's levels, likely centuries in the future.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mark E. Baird, Mathieu Mongin, Jennifer Skerratt, Nugzar Margvelashvili, Sharon Tickell, Andrew D. L. Steven, Cedric Robillot, Robin Ellis, David Waters, Paulina Kaniewska, Jon Brodie
Summary: Model simulations demonstrate that reducing anthropogenic catchment loads can improve water quality of the Great Barrier Reef, particularly within river plumes. Reductions in anthropogenic loads can significantly decrease chlorophyll concentration in the plumes.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mark E. Baird, Mathieu Mongin, Farhan Rizwi, Line K. Bay, Neal E. Cantin, Luke A. Morris, Jennifer Skerratt
Summary: The study found that both natural and anthropogenic catchment loads have impacts on coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef, with the anthropogenic loads having a more significant effect on the physiological state of zooxanthellae.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Yves-Marie Bozec, Karlo Hock, Robert A. B. Mason, Mark E. Baird, Carolina Castro-Sanguino, Scott A. Condie, Marji Puotinen, Angus Thompson, Peter J. Mumby
Summary: This study integrated coral life history, population dynamics, and environmental drivers to assess the impacts of multiple stressors on the Great Barrier Reef. Model simulations showed a decline in coral populations by one-third from 2008 to 2020, with coral bleaching being the main driver of coral mortality. Annual rates of coral mortality were highest due to bleaching, followed by cyclones and starfish predation.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eric Mortenson, Andrew Lenton, Elizabeth H. Shadwick, Thomas W. Trull, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Xuebin Zhang
Summary: The ocean serves as a major sink for anthropogenic heat and carbon, but the trajectories of heat and CO2 uptake diverge over the 21st century due to regional differences in physical and chemical drivers. Regional variations in heat-to-carbon uptake ratios will result in coherent regional patterns for sea surface warming and acidification by the end of this century.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
P. Kalmus, A. Ekanayaka, E. Kang, M. Baird, M. Gierach
Summary: Coral reefs are rapidly declining due to local environmental degradation and global climate change. The study shows that over 91% of the reef locations have exceeded the thermal threshold for irreversible damage, indicating that widespread coral degradation is no longer avoidable.
Article
Oceanography
Monika Soja-Wozniak, Lesley Clementson, Bozena Wojtasiewicz, Mark Baird
Summary: This paper reconstructs the absorption spectra of phytoplankton using pigment concentration and absorption coefficients. Small phytoplankton samples show no significant difference between calculated and measured absorption. The reconstructed phytoplankton absorption is overestimated at one wavelength and underestimated over a specific range.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-OCEANS
(2022)
Review
Oceanography
Tyler Rohr, Anthony J. Richardson, Andrew Lenton, Elizabeth Shadwick
Summary: Functional response curves, which describe the relationship between predation rates and prey density, have been widely used in ecological modelling for almost a century. However, there is disagreement among marine ecological modellers regarding the qualitative shape of the curve, the mechanistic or empirical definition of its parameters, and the most representative values of those parameters. This article focuses on marine biogeochemical models and provides a comprehensive analysis of the functional response, offering recommendations for its interpretation and parameterization.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tyler Rohr, Anthony J. Richardson, Andrew Lenton, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Elizabeth H. Shadwick
Summary: The largest source of uncertainty in the representation of the marine carbon cycle in the current generation of Earth system models (CMIP6) used by the United Nations is the phytoplankton-specific loss rates to zooplankton grazing. Even small changes in prescribed grazing dynamics can significantly impact secondary and export production, potentially biasing predictions of future climate states and food security. The rate of phytoplankton biomass loss to zooplankton grazing is the major factor influencing projected changes in ocean carbon export and climate.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yeray Santana-Falcon, Akitomo Yamamoto, Andrew Lenton, Chris D. Jones, Friedrich A. Burger, Jasmin G. John, Jerry Tjiputra, Jorg Schwinger, Michio Kawamiya, Thomas L. Frolicher, Tilo Ziehn, Roland Seferian
Summary: Anthropogenic warming of the oceans and associated deoxygenation are causing irreversible changes in marine ecosystems, particularly in marine habitats. These changes will have profound and long-lasting impacts on the viability of marine ecosystems.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chaojiao Sun, Alistair J. Hobday, Scott A. Condie, Mark E. Baird, J. Paige Eveson, Jason R. Hartog, Anthony J. Richardson, Andrew D. L. Steven, Karen Wild-Allen, Russell C. Babcock, Dezhou Yang, Rencheng Yu, Mathieu Mongin
Summary: In times of rapid change and increasing human pressures on marine systems, ecological forecasts play a vital role in providing decision-makers with the necessary information to avoid negative impacts and maximize opportunities. This study examines the demand for near-term ecological forecasts, their application in decision-making, and underscores the urgent need for operational information systems to support sustainable ocean management. The findings highlight the importance of iterative forecasting practices to continuously improve forecast outcomes and accuracy.