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Results for “Coral Reefs”

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At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
USGS2019

Spatial and temporal variability in ripple formation and migration across a coral reef flat and lagoon

The transport of carbonate sediment across reefs to the shoreline is of great interest to the research community and coastal managers alike. This sediment is generated by the breakdown of reef skeletal structure and a critical source for beach nourishment that provides a buffer to coastal flooding as sea levels rise. Understanding the physical processes that are responsible for this flux of sediment to the coast is therefore necessary before we can begin to predict how it may be affected by rising sea levels. Six weeks of high quality physical oceanographic data collected on the fringing reef in the Jurabi UNESCO World Heritage Site in Western Australia provides the opportunity to examine these processes in greater detail than ever before.

Jurabi UNESCO World Heritage Site↗
USGS2023

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↗
USGS1982

Effects of offshore oil drilling on Philippine reef corals.

An offshore drilling site in an area of extensive live-coral bottom off NW Palawan Island, Philippines, was examined 15 months after well completion. Porites lutea growth rates showed that little suppression of head coral growth could be attributed to drilling. Diver observation, however, together with analysis of sampling transect photomosaics, revealed 70-90% reduction in foliose, branching, and plate-like corals in an iron-stained area that extended out from the wellheads in a 115 X 85-m ellipse.-from Authors

Bulletin of Marine Science↗