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Olivia M. Cheriton

Publications and source records attributed to Olivia M. Cheriton.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Complex sound scattering layer and water-column dynamics over a mesophotic coral ecosystem: Southwest Puerto Rico, U.S.A.

A nearly 5-month record of high-resolution temperature and acoustic backscatter profiles from the upper insular slope off southwest Puerto Rico reveals complex sound scattering layer (SSL) dynamics over a mesophotic coral ecosystem (MCE). The SSLs exhibited both diel and reverse diel vertical migration, thin layer (< 5 m) and multiple layer formations, depth modulation due to internal waves, and vertical layering in the absence of water column stratification. The long-term observations also capture SSL and water column dynamics across changing seasons and two category five hurricanes, Irma and María. The SSLs, likely comprosed of zooplankton, represent an important food source for both the sessile ( e.g. , corals and sponges) and mobile ( e.g. , fish) MCE taxa, and their effective vertical mobility underscores their importance to trophic connectivity between the upper and lower slope MCEs, as well as the shelf. Our results also underscore the challenges in adequately resolving zooplankton aggregations using conventional sampling techniques.

Puerto Rico↗

Land-based nutrient flux to a fringing reef: Insights from Ofu Island, American Samoa

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a critical driver of nutrient transport in coral reef ecosystems, shaping water quality, primary productivity, and overall reef health. This study quantifies SGD fluxes and associated nutrient dynamics in two reef flat pools within the Ofu Unit of the National Park of American Samoa: Papaloloa and Fatuana. A multi-method approach integrating unoccupied aerial system-based thermal infrared (UAS-TIR) surveys, radon-based SGD measurements, multichannel electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and discrete water sampling was used to assess SGD rates and nutrient contributions. UAS-TIR imagery revealed cooler sea surface temperatures in both pools, indicative of SGD, with the higher fluxes observed in Papaloloa. Radon measurements revealed a strong inverse correlation between SGD rates and tidal stage, with a more immediate SGD response at Papaloloa due to its highly permeable calcareous sand and gravel substrate. In contrast, a 2–3-hour lag in SGD response at Fatuana suggests discharge from a more inland aquifer that has lower diffusivity. Nutrient concentrations correlated with temperature and salinity, confirming SGD as the dominant nutrient transport mechanism, whereas isotopic analyses indicated inputs from both groundwater and potential anthropogenic sources. Despite lower SGD flux at Fatuana, higher algal cover suggests additional factors influencing algal proliferation, including substrate availability and hydrodynamic conditions. Excess nutrient inputs from SGD may contribute to algal overgrowth, which threatens Ofu’s thermally tolerant corals by increasing competition for space and light. These findings underscore the complexity of SGD-mediated nutrient dynamics in reef environments and emphasize the need for integrated hydrological and ecological assessments to support effective reef conservation and management strategies.

American Samoa, Ofu Island, Olosega Island↗

Extreme low-frequency waves on the Ofu, American Samoa, reef flat

The southern fringing reef along Ofu, American Samoa, has been a focus of coral research owing to the presence of super-heated pools on the reef flat, where corals thrive in elevated sea temperatures. Here, we present the first documentation of exceptionally large low-frequency (periods > 100 s) waves over this reef flat. During a large, southerly swell event, low-frequency waves on the inner reef flat had mean heights of 0.7 m and periods of 2–4 min and are estimated to have contributed up to 50% of the total water levels. One observed low-frequency wave had a trough-to-peak vertical height of 1.5 m, possibly representing the largest low-frequency wave ever directly observed on a reef flat. These large, low-frequency waves, which were likely amplified by reef resonance, are important factors in coastal hazards such as flooding and erosion and may also be relevant to coral health and resilience.

Ofu, American Samoa↗

Wave-scale observations of sediment resuspension and subsequent transport across a fringing reef flat

During a 3-month deployment on a broad, fringing reef flat in Moloka’i, Hawai’i, we observed over 28,000 wave-driven resuspension (WDR) events of coarse-grained sediment in order to identify major factors. These events were short-lived (2-11 s) and distinct from the longer-duration patterns of water-column backscatter. The wave-driven transport of WDR events was onshore, but the net cross-shore transport was ultimately controlled by water levels. Higher water levels produced larger reef-flat waves, which were requisite for these events to occur. But rising water levels also drove stronger offshore flows. Consequently, onshore net transport of WDR events only occurred within a narrow water-level range, when waves were sufficiently large, but the offshore flow was still weak. Our observations demonstrate how cross-shore transport of coarse-grained material over reef flats is sensitive to changing water levels. Rising sea levels will likely alter transport patterns, which will in turn affect cross-shore delivery of carbonate sand to adjacent shorelines.

Hawaii↗

Carbonate sediment transport across coral reefs: A comparison of fringing vs. barrier reefs

Considerable uncertainty remains in the budgets of carbonate sediment on reef lined coasts, particularly with respect to the supply of sediment to a reef flat that is then transported throughout a reef system. In this study, we re-examine two recent studies, one on a barrier reef bounded by channels that incise the reef, and one on a fringing reef without channels. Results indicate that the presence of channels results in a circulation regime that promotes not only the onshore sediment flux across the reef flat, but also upslope transport of sediment from the fore reef onto the reef flat. Data from these experiments suggest that when channels are present in the reef flat, the hydrodynamics of these reef systems favor the transport the transport of sediment up the fore reef. This outcome has implications for the design of potential reef restoration efforts intended to protect shorelines.

Conference Paper↗

Modeling fluvial sediment plumes: Impacts to coral reefs

To help guide watershed restoration to reduce the impacts to adjacent coral reefs, the United States Geological Survey and Deltares acquired and analyzed oceanographic and sedimentologic data off 5 West Maui watersheds to calibrate and validate physics-based, numerical hydrodynamic and sediment transport models of the study area. The results indicated sheltered sites are impacted by terrestrial sediment from single stream mouths, with most of the sediment delivered within hours of a flood event. Once this sediment enters the nearshore, it settles out and remains on the reef for a prolonged period. In contrast, the coral reefs along “open” sections of coastline are more exposed to waves and terrestrial sediment from multiple stream sources and the terrestrial sediment can rarely settle but instead remains in suspension, causing turbidity. These analyses underscore the importance of understanding how hydro-dynamics can lead to different sediment dynamics on coral reefs in the same region.

Conference Paper↗

Observations of coastal circulation, waves, and sediment transport along West Maui, Hawaiʻi (November 2017– March 2018), and modeling effects of potential watershed restoration on decreasing sediment loads to adjacent coral reefs

Terrestrial sediment discharging from watersheds off West Maui, Hawaiʻi, has been documented as a primary stressor to local coral reefs, causing coral reef health to decline. The U.S. Geological Survey acquired and analyzed physical oceanographic and sedimentologic field data off the coast of West Maui to calibrate and validate physics-based, numerical hydrodynamic and sediment transport models of the study area developed by Deltares. These models simulated terrestrial sediment transport and dispersal from West Maui watersheds into coastal waters and how terrestrial sediment affects nearby coral reefs under different oceanographic forcing and watershed restoration scenarios. Wave energy and near-bed turbidity are positively correlated in the field observations, illustrating a process not captured by the model simulations in which sediment already deposited on the seabed is resuspended by wave action and subsequently transported by prevailing currents. In the model simulations, large waves during flood events led to a decrease in suspended-sediment concentrations. Notably, however, the model results only consider sediment entering coastal waters from five stream sources and do not simulate sediment already present on the seabed. The model simulations project that the Honokeana and Māhinahina coral reefs would experience the greatest reduction in sediment impacts from theoretical watershed restoration. Additionally, when large waves coincide with flood events, post-storm sedimentation generally decreases in the nearshore region, but increases in the region offshore of the reefs. The measured and modeled sediment dynamics demonstrate a demarcation between the coral reefs sheltered within embayments (Honolua reef) or behind points (Wahikuli reef) and those along the relatively open coastline between Kapalua and Kāʻanapali (Kapalua, Honokeana, Māhinahina, and Honokōwai reefs). The sheltered sites are affected by terrestrial sediment from single stream mouths, where most sediment is delivered within hours of a flood (rain) event. Once this sediment enters the nearshore, it settles out and remains within the reef area for a prolonged period owing to a lack of wave or current-driven bed shear stress. Thus, the primary effect of sediment on the reefs within these sheltered areas is sedimentation. In contrast, coral reefs along the unsheltered (or “open”) section of coastline (between Kapalua and Kāʻanapali) are more exposed to waves and terrestrial sediment from multiple stream sources. At these reefs, fine-grained terrestrial sediment can rarely settle but instead remains in suspension. Thus, even long after a flood event has occurred, these sites chronically experience light attenuation from suspended sediment. These analyses underscore the importance of understanding how coastal ocean waves and circulation can lead to different sediment dynamics and stressors for coral reefs along the same region of the West Maui coastline. These differing factors indicate that the most effective watershed restoration and mitigation strategies may vary among the different coral reefs and streams. An important next step is to determine how the science of this study can support management goals for these coral reefs: what are target reductions of sedimentation, suspended-sediment concentrations, or the resulting light attenuation? Then, using the coupled hydrodynamic-sediment model, we can examine which watershed restoration scenarios in each stream will best achieve those targets.

Hawaii↗

Combining field observations and high-resolution numerical modeling to demonstrate the effect of coral reef roughness on turbulence and its implications for reef restoration design

Coral reefs are effective natural barriers that protect adjacent coastal communities from hazards such as erosion and storm-induced flooding. However, the degradation of coral reefs compromises their ability to protect against these hazards, making degraded reefs a target for restoration. There have been limited field and numerical modeling studies conducted to understand how an increase in coral reef roughness, as would occur due to restoration, can affect wave energy dissipation for a range of real-world wave and water level conditions. To address this knowledge gap, field measurements were collected over adjacent low-roughness and high-roughness reefs off Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi, USA, subjected to the same oceanographic forcing. Those field data were then used to calibrate and validate OpenFOAM computational fluid dynamics models of the reef. These calibrated models were then used to explore energy dissipation for a range of wave conditions based on measurements from a suite of existing datasets and values from the literature. In general, wave dissipation scales with incident wave conditions, where greater dissipation occurred for shallow depths and shorter-period waves. This tendency for short-period waves to be more readily attenuated is supported by wave energy dissipation factors in the range of 0.1–5, which decline with increasing wave period. Near-bed turbulent kinetic energy dissipation also scales with incident wave conditions, where the greatest difference in dissipation between low and high relief cases occurs for short wave periods. Turbulence becomes less affected by bottom roughness as the wave period increases. Based on this study, wave attenuation and turbulent energy dissipation could be enhanced by 0.5–1 order of magnitude (45% per across-shore meter) if the seabed roughness at the field site were increased by 13%, an achievable goal in coral reef restoration.

Coastal Engineering↗

Physicochemical coastal groundwater dynamics between Kauhakō Crater lake and Kalaupapa settlement, Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i

Land-based sources of groundwater pollution can be a critical threat to coral reefs, and a better understanding of “ridge-to-reef” water movement is required to advance management and coral survival in the Anthropocene. In this study a more complete understanding of the geological, atmospheric, and oceanic drivers behind coastal groundwater exchange on the Kalaupapa peninsula, on Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i, is obtained by analyzing high resolution geochemical and geophysical time-series data. In concert with multiyear water level analyses, a tidally and precipitation-driven groundwater connection between Kauhakō Crater lake and submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) fluxes are demonstrated. Results include an average discharge rate of 190 cm d −1 and the detection of water-flow pathways past cesspools that likely contribute to higher nutrient loading near the SGD sites. This underlines the importance of managing anthropogenic nutrients that enter the shallow freshwater lens such as through cesspools and are consequently discharged via SGD onto coral reef habitats.

Hawai'i↗

The role of pH up-regulation in response to nutrient-enriched, low-pH groundwater discharge

Coral reefs and their ecosystems are threatened by both global stressors, including increasing sea-surface temperatures and ocean acidification (OA), and local stressors such as land-based sources of pollution that can magnify the effects of OA. Corals can physiologically control the chemistry of their internal calcifying fluids (CF) and can thereby regulate their calcification process. Specifically, increasing aragonite saturation state in the CF (Ω CF ) may allow corals to calcify even under external low saturation conditions. Questions remain regarding the physiological processes that govern the CF chemistry and how they change in response to multiple stressors. To address this knowledge gap, the boron δ 11 B and B/Ca were analyzed in tropical corals, Porites lobata, collected at submarine groundwater seeps impacted by the release of treated wastewater in west Maui, Hawai'i, to document the interactions between high nutrient / low pH seep water on CF carbonate chemistry. Results show substantial up-regulation of pH and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) with respect to seawater in P. lobata corals collected from within the wastewater impacted area at Kahekili Beach Park compared to the control site at Olowalu Beach. The Ω CF was 9 to 10 times higher than ambient seawater Ω, and 13 to 26% higher than in corals from the control site and from values previously observed in tropical Porites spp. corals. Such elevated up-regulation suggests that corals exposed to nutrient-enriched, low pH effluent sustain CF supersaturated with respect to aragonite, possibly as an internal coping mechanism to combat multiple stressors from land-based sources of pollution. This elevated up-regulation has implications to coral vulnerability to future climate- and ocean-change.

Hawaii↗

Bomb-produced radiocarbon across the South Pacific Gyre — A new record from American Samoa with utility for fisheries science

Coral skeletal structures can provide a robust record of nuclear bomb produced 14 C with valuable insight into air-sea exchange processes and water movement with applications to fisheries science. To expand these records in the South Pacific, a coral core from Tutuila Island, American Samoa was dated with density band counting covering a 59-yr period (1953–2012). Seasonal signals in elemental ratios (Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca) and stable carbon (δ 13 C) values across the coral core corroborated the well-defined annual band structure and highlighted an ocean climate shift from the 1997–1998 El Niño. The American Samoa coral 14 C measurements were consistent with other regional records but included some notable differences across the South Pacific Gyre (SPG) at Fiji, Rarotonga, and Easter Island that can be attributed to decadal ocean climate cycles, surface residence times and proximity to the South Equatorial Current. An analysis of the post-peak 14 C decline associated with each coral record indicated 14 C levels are beginning to merge for the SPG. This observation, coupled with otolith measurements from American Samoa, reinforces the perspective that bomb 14 C dating can be performed on fishes and other marine organisms of the region using the post-peak 14 C decline to properly inform fisheries management in the South Pacific.

Radiocarbon↗

Land-based sediment sources and transport to southwest Puerto Rico coral reefs after Hurricane Maria, May 2017 to June 2018

The effects of runoff from land on nearshore ecosystems, including coral reef communities, are influenced by both sediment supply and removal by coastal processes. Integrated studies across the land-sea interface describing sources and transport of terrestrial sediment and its nearshore fate allow reef protection initiatives to target key onshore and offshore areas. Geochemical signatures in the fine fraction of terrestrial sediment from watersheds in southwest Puerto Rico were determined by multivariate principal component analysis and used to identify terrestrial sources of sediment runoff to nearshore coral reefs. Sediment settling out of suspension at reefs was collected at approximately 2 month-long intervals in bottom-mounted sediment traps from May 2017 to June 2018, a period that included Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Bulk sediment accumulation rates in traps exceeded a 10 mg/cm 2 /d threshold found to stress corals at 5 of 7 reef sites throughout the 13 month-long study. Geochemical signatures showed that watersheds 10s km to the east were a predominant, year-round source of fine sediment to reefs offshore of Guánica Bay and could have introduced sediment-bound contaminants due to a higher degree of industrialization and urbanization than the local watershed. Sediment runoff from the local watershed appeared to be constrained to a narrow band close to shore. During the 2.5 months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, bulk sediment accumulation rates increased substantially and fine sediment geochemical signatures were indicative of predominantly distal sources, except outside of the mouth of Guánica Bay, which was strongly impacted by local runoff. Mass wasting, sediment runoff, and coastal turbidity persisted for months after Hurricane Maria and could account for the appearance of a small fraction of geochemical variance from a distal sediment source that appeared in reef traps 4 months post-hurricane and persisted through the end of the study 9 months post-hurricane. Sediment geochemical sourcing in temporally resolved records from sediment traps showed how landscape-scale changes after a major hurricane affected both near-term and long-term sediment delivery to reef communities. In addition, the importance of fine sediment advection from distal sources indicates that successful reduction of land-based pressures on nearshore ecosystems will require cross-jurisdictional strategies.

Puerto Rico↗

Rapid observations of ocean dynamics and stratification along a steep island coast during Hurricane María

Hurricanes are extreme storms that affect coastal communities, but the linkages between hurricane forcing and ocean dynamics remain poorly understood. Here, we present full water column observations at unprecedented resolution from the southwest Puerto Rico insular shelf and slope during Hurricane María, representing a rare set of high-frequency, subsurface, oceanographic observations collected along an island margin during a hurricane. The shelf geometry and orientation relative to the storm acted to stabilize and strengthen stratification. This maintained elevated sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) throughout the storm and led to an estimated 65% greater potential hurricane intensity contribution at this site before eye passage. Coastal cooling did not occur until 11 hours after the eye passage. Our findings present a new framework for how hurricane interaction with insular island margins may generate baroclinic processes that maintain elevated SSTs, thus potentially providing increased energy for the storm.

southwestern Puerto Rico↗

Characterization of the biological, physical, and chemical properties of a toxic thin layer in a temperate marine system

The distribution of plankton in the ocean is patchy across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. One type of oceanographic feature that exemplifies this patchiness is a ‘thin layer’. Thin layers are subsurface aggregations of plankton that range in vertical thickness from centimeters to a few meters, which may extend horizontally for kilometers and persist for days. We undertook a field campaign to characterize the biological, physical, and chemical properties of thin layers in Monterey Bay, California (USA), an area where these features can be persistent. The particle aggregates (marine snow) sampled in the study had several quantifiable properties indicating how the layer was formed and how its structure was maintained. Particles were more elongated above the layer, and then changed orientation angle and increased in size within the layer, suggesting passive accumulation of particles along a physical gradient. The shift in particle aggregate orientation angle near the pycnocline suggests that shear may also have played a role in generating the thin layer. Pseudo-nitzschia spp. were the most abundant phytoplankton within the thin layer. Further, both dissolved and particulate domoic acid were highest within the thin layer. We suggest that phosphate stress is responsible for the formation of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. aggregates. This stress together with increased nitrogen in the layer may lead to increased bloom toxicity in the subsurface blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. Several zooplankton groups were observed to aggregate above and below the layer. With the knowledge that harmful algal bloom events can occur in subsurface thin layers, modified sampling methods to monitor for these hidden incubators could greatly improve the efficacy of early-warning systems designed to detect harmful algal blooms in coastal waters.

Marine Ecology Progress Series (MEPS)↗

Spectral wave-driven bedload transport across a coral reef flat/lagoon complex

Coral reefs are an important source of sediment for reef-lined coasts by helping to maintain beaches while also providing protection in the form of wave energy dissipation. Understanding the mechanisms by which sediment is delivered to the coast as well as better constraining the total volumes generated are critical for projecting future coastal change. A month-long hydrodynamics and sediment transport study on a fringing reef/lagoon complex in Western Australia indicates that lower frequency constituents of wave energy are important to the total bedload transport of sediment across the reef flat and lagoon to the shoreline. The reef flat and the lagoon are characterized by distinctly different transport regimes, resulting in an offset in the timing of bedform migration between the two. Short-term storage of sediment is noted on the reef flat, which is subsequently washed out into the lagoon when offshore wave heights increase and strong currents due to wave breaking at the reef crest develop. This sudden influx of sediment is a significant control on bedform migration rates in the lagoon. Infragravity wave energy on the reef flat and lagoon make an important contribution to the migration of bedforms and resultant bedload transport. Given the complexity of the hydrodynamics of fringing reefs, the transfer of energy to lower frequency bands, as well as accurate estimates of sources and sinks of sediment, must but considered in order to correctly model the transport of sediment from the reef to the coast.

Ningaloo Reef↗

Sea‐level rise will drive divergent sediment transport patterns on fore reefs and reef flats, potentially causing erosion on atoll islands

Atoll reef islands primarily consist of unconsolidated sediment, and their ocean‐facing shorelines are maintained by sediment produced and transported across their reefs. Changes in incident waves can alter cross‐shore sediment exchange and, thus, affect the sediment budget and morphology of atoll reef islands. Here we investigate the influence of sea level rise and projected wave climate change on wave characteristics and cross‐shore sediment transport across an atoll reef at Kwajalein Island, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Using a phase‐resolving model, we quantify the influence on sediment transport of quantities not well captured by wave‐averaged models, namely, wave asymmetry and skewness and flow acceleration. Model results suggest that for current reef geometry, sea level, and wave climate, potential bedload transport is directed onshore, decreases from the fore reef to the beach, and is sensitive to the influence of flow acceleration. We find that a projected 12% decrease in annual wave energy by 2100 CE has negligible influence on reef flat hydrodynamics. However, 0.5–2.0 m of sea level rise increases wave heights, skewness, and shear stress on the reef flat and decreases wave skewness and shear stress on the fore reef. These hydrodynamic changes decrease potential sediment inputs onshore from the fore reef where coral production is greatest but increase potential cross‐reef sediment transport from the outer reef flat to the beach. Assuming sediment production on the fore reef remains constant or decreases due to increasing ocean temperatures and acidification, these processes have the potential to decrease net sediment delivery to atoll islands, causing erosion.

Journal of Geophysical Research – Earth Surface↗

Internal tides can provide thermal refugia that will buffer some coral reefs from future global warming

Observations show ocean temperatures are rising due to climate change, resulting in a fivefold increase in the incidence of regional-scale coral bleaching events since the 1980s; analyses based on global climate models forecast bleaching will become an annual event for most of the world’s coral reefs within 30–50 yr. Internal waves at tidal frequencies can regularly flush reefs with cooler waters, buffering the thermal stress from rising sea-surface temperatures. Here we present the first global maps of the effects these processes have on bleaching projections for three IPCC-AR5 emissions scenarios. Incorporating semidiurnal temperature fluctuations into the projected water temperatures at depth creates a delay in the timing of annual severe bleaching ≥ 10 yr (≥ 20 yr) for 38% (9%), 15% (1%), and 1% (0%) of coral reef sites for the low, moderate, and high emission scenarios, respectively; regional averages can reach twice as high. These cooling effects are greatest later in twenty-first century for the moderate emission scenarios, and around the middle twenty-first century for the highest emission scenario. Our results demonstrate how these effects could delay bleaching for corals, providing thermal refugia. Identification of such areas could be a factor for the selection of coral reef marine protected areas.

Scientific Reports↗

In situ observations of wave transformation and infragravity bore development across reef flats of varying geomorphology

The character and energetics of infragravity (IG, 25 s < period < 250 s) and very-low frequency (VLF, period > 250 s) waves over coral reef flats can enhance shoreline erosion or accretion, and also govern extreme shoreline events such as runup, overwash, and flooding on coral reef-lined coasts. Here we use in situ wave measurements collected along cross-reef transects at 7 sites on Pacific islands with varying reef geomorphologies to examine under what conditions IG waves occur and what factors enhance their irregularity. In general, a greater fraction of total wave energy was transferred to the IG band on reefs with steeper fore reef slopes and shallower reef flats. The IG wave amplitudes scaled with increasing water levels, but it was primarily at lower water levels when these waves became pitched onshore (negatively asymmetrical) and peaked (positively skewed). However, our results also highlight the importance of reef-flat width and slope as important morphological controls on IG waves, as the most asymmetric, bore-like, IG waves occurred on the wider reef flats, and the most skewed IG waves at the site with the steepest reef-flat. On the wider reef flats, IG wave-wave capture was observed during periods of large offshore wave forcing and enhanced VLF wave energy. Because similar IG wave motions over plane beaches enhance sea-swell (SS, period < 25 s) bore-merging in the surf zone, we posit that VLF waves over reef flats may facilitate IG bore merging, and this may lead to larger, more pitched-onshore bores at the shoreline. In addition, greater IG wave heights appear to support the transmission of larger secondary short-period waves over the reef flat, independent of overall water levels. As irregular IG waves may be strong drivers of cross-reef sediment transport as well as runup, understanding the conditions and reef geomorphologies that lead to low-frequency, energetic bores on reef flats is critical to forecasting how coral reef-lined coasts will respond to sea-level rise and climate change.

Hawaii↗