scholarly journals Detecting sedimentation impacts to coral reefs resulting from dredging the Port of Miami, Florida USA

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W. Miller ◽  
Jocelyn Karazsia ◽  
Carolyn E. Groves ◽  
Sean Griffin ◽  
Tom Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Compensatory Mitigation ◽  
Reef Environment

The federal channel at Port of Miami, Florida, USA, was dredged between late 2013 and early 2015 to widen and deepen the channel. Due to the limited spatial extent of impact-assessment monitoring associated with the project, the extent of the dredging impacts on surrounding coral reefs has not been well quantified. Previously published remote sensing analyses, as well as agency and anecdotal reports suggest the most severe and largest area of sedimentation occurred on a coral reef feature referred to as the Inner Reef, particularly in the sector north of the channel. A confounding regional warm-water mass bleaching event followed by a coral disease outbreak during this same time frame made the assessment of dredging-related impacts to coral reefs adjacent to the federal channel difficult but still feasible. The current study sought to better understand the sedimentation impacts that occurred in the coral reef environment surrounding Port of Miami, to distinguish those impacts from other regional events or disturbances, and provide supplemental information on impact assessment that will inform discussions on compensatory mitigation requirements. To this end, in-water field assessments conducted after the completion of dredging and a time series analysis of tagged corals photographed pre-, during, and post-dredging, are used to discern dredging-related sedimentation impacts for the Inner Reef north. Results indicate increased sediment accumulation, severe in certain times and places, and an associated biological response (e.g., higher prevalence of partial mortality of corals) extended up to 700 m from the channel, whereas project-associated monitoring was limited to 50 m from the channel. These results can contribute to more realistic prediction of areas of indirect effect from dredging projects needed to accurately evaluate proposed projects and design appropriate compliance monitoring. Dredging projects near valuable and sensitive habitats subject to local and global stressors require monitoring methods capable of discerning non-dredging related impacts and adaptive management to ensure predicted and unpredicted project-related impacts are quantified. Anticipated increasing frequency and intensity of seasonal warming stress also suggests that manageable- but- unavoidable local stressors such as dredging should be partitioned from such seasonal thermal stress events.

scholarly journals Detecting sedimentation impacts to coral reefs resulting from dredging the Port of Miami, Florida USA

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W Miller ◽  
Jocelyn Karazsia ◽  
Carolyn E Groves ◽  
Sean Griffin ◽  
Tom Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Monitoring Methods

The federal channel at Port of Miami, Florida, USA, was dredged between late 2013 and early 2015, to widen and deepen the channel. While the precise effects of the dredging on surrounding coral reefs are not well quantified, previously published remote sensing analyses, as well as agency and anecdotal reports suggest the most severe and largest area of sedimentation occurred on a coral reef feature referred to as the Inner Reef, particularly in the sector north of the channel. A regional warm-water mass bleaching event followed by a coral disease outbreak during this same time frame confounded the assessment of dredging-related impacts to coral reefs adjacent to the federal channel. In-water field assessments conducted after the completion of dredging and a time series analysis of tagged corals photographed pre-, during, and post-dredging, are used to discern dredging-related sedimentation impacts for the Inner Reef north. Results indicate increased sediment accumulation, severe in certain times and places, and an associated biological response, including significantly greater proportion of live coral tissue loss, occurred within coral reef sites located closer to the channel. Dredging projects near valuable and sensitive habitats subject to local and global stressors require monitoring methods capable of discerning non-dredging related impacts and adaptive management to ensure predicted and unpredicted project-related impacts are quantified. Anticipated increasing frequency and intensity of warming stress also suggests that manageable- but- unavoidable local stressors such as dredging should be partitioned from the warmest times of year.

scholarly journals Detecting sedimentation impacts to coral reefs resulting from dredging the Port of Miami, Florida USA

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W Miller ◽  
Jocelyn Karazsia ◽  
Carolyn E Groves ◽  
Sean Griffin ◽  
Tom Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Live Coral ◽  
Monitoring Methods

The federal channel at Port of Miami, Florida, USA, was dredged between late 2013 and early 2015, to widen and deepen the channel. While the precise effects of the dredging on surrounding coral reefs are not well quantified, previously published remote sensing analyses, as well as agency and anecdotal reports suggest the most severe and largest area of sedimentation occurred on a coral reef feature referred to as the Inner Reef, particularly in the sector north of the channel. A regional warm-water mass bleaching event followed by a coral disease outbreak during this same time frame confounded the assessment of dredging-related impacts to coral reefs adjacent to the federal channel. In-water field assessments conducted after the completion of dredging and a time series analysis of tagged corals photographed pre-, during, and post-dredging, are used to discern dredging-related sedimentation impacts for the Inner Reef north. Results indicate increased sediment accumulation, severe in certain times and places, and an associated biological response, including significantly greater proportion of live coral tissue loss, occurred within coral reef sites located closer to the channel. Dredging projects near valuable and sensitive habitats subject to local and global stressors require monitoring methods capable of discerning non-dredging related impacts and adaptive management to ensure predicted and unpredicted project-related impacts are quantified. Anticipated increasing frequency and intensity of warming stress also suggests that manageable- but- unavoidable local stressors such as dredging should be partitioned from the warmest times of year.

scholarly journals Lingkungan Terumbu Karang sepanjang pantai gugusan Pulau-Pulau terluar di Perairan Kepulauan Aruah, Kabupaten Rokan Hilir Provinsi Riau. Coral reef environment along coastal outer, in Aruah Archipelgo Waters area, Rokan Hilir District Riau Province

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Deny Setiady ◽  
Ediar Usman
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
Marine Geology ◽  
Reef Environment ◽  
Sea Bottom ◽  
Coral Reef Environment ◽  
Almost All

Abstrak Secara geografis, Kepulauan Aruah merupakan gugusan pulau-pulau kecil terluar yang  terletak di perairan Selat Malaka, yang berbatasan dengan Malaysia. Metoda penelitian geologi kelautan terdiri dari, Pemetaan geologi pantai dan lepas pantai, penentuan posisi, pengukuran pasang surut, pengukuran kedalaman dasar laut dan pengukuran luas terumbu karang. Hasil pengukuran luas gugusan  Terumbu karang di sekitar Kepulauan Aruah pada waktu pasang yaitu: Pulau Jemur (31.3800 ha), Pulau Kalironggo (39.0229 ha), Pulau Sarong Alang (0.5081 ha), Pulau Pandan (3.5940 ha), Pulau Labuhan Bilik (15.5340 ha), Pulau Tukong Mas (19.4271), Pulau Pasir (25.853), Pulau Batu Adang (43.1740), Pulau Batu Berlayar (70.9140), dan Pulau Batu Mandi (9.0770 ha). Pulau Tukong Simbang terdapat 7 gugusan pulau kecil, dimana  pada saat air laut mengalami surut terendah membentuk satu kesatuan pulau dengan luas mencapai 104,9 ha. Kedalaman dasar laut di daerah penelitian maksimum 80 meter, dengan perbedaan pasang surut maksimum dan surut minimum adalah 5,9 meter di daerah penelitian. Keberadaan batuan Tersier di pantai dan terumbu karang menjadi penyangga keberadaan dan ketahanan gugusan pulau-pulau kecil. Pantai dan lepas pantai Kepulauan Aruah. Hampir seluruh bagian pinggir dari pulau-pulau kecil di sekitar Pulau Jemur dikelilingi oleh lingkungan terumbu karang, sehingga menambah pesona keindahan perairan dan pantai kepuauan Aruah.  Kata Kunci: Kepulauan Aruah, Lingkungan Terumbu Karang, Pulau terluar, dan geologi kelautan Abstract Aruah Islands located in the  Malacca Strait waters is outer islands cluster and the border Malaysia. Study method consits of coastal geology mapping positioning Low – high Tide measurenment, sea bottom measurenment and Coral reef wide measurenment. High tide coral reef cluster measurenment in Aruah archipelago are:  Jemur Island(31.3800 ha), Kalironggo (39.0229 ha), Sarong Alang  Island (0.5081 ha),  Pandan Island (3.5940 ha),  Labuhan Bilik Island (15.5340 ha), Tukong Mas Island (19.4271), Pasir Island (25.853), Batu Adang Island (43.1740), Batu Berlayar Island(70.9140), dan Batu Mandi Isand (9.0770) ha). There are seven small island Tukong Simbang Island, when low tide forming one island with 104.9 ha square. Maximum depth of seawater is 80 meter dept and differences between low tide and high tide is 5,9 meter in  study area. The existence of Tertiary rocks on the beach and coral reefs into existence and resistance as a buffer of small islands cluster. Almost all of the edges of small islands around the Jemur island is surrounded by coral reefs environment, that adding to the charm and beauty of coastal and waters Aruah Islands  Keywords. Aruah archipelago, Coral reef environment, outer island, and marine geology,

scholarly journals ­Inshore, turbid coral reefs from northwest Borneo exhibiting low diversity, but high cover show evidence of resilience to various environmental stressors

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Brown ◽  
Nicola Browne ◽  
Jennifer L McIlwain ◽  
Jens Zinke
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Mucus Production ◽  
Hard Coral Cover

For reefs in SE Asia the synergistic effects of rapid land-development, insufficient environmental policies and a lack of enforcement has led to poor water quality and compromised coral health from increased sediment and pollution. Those inshore turbid coral reefs, subject to significant sediment inputs, may also inherit some resilience to the effects of thermal stress and coral bleaching. We studied the inshore turbid reefs near Miri, in northwest Borneo, through a comprehensive assessment of coral cover, health and function in addition to quantifying sediment-related parameters. Although Miri Reefs had comparatively low coral species diversity, dominated by massive and encrusting forms of Diploastrea, Porites, Montipora, Favites, Dipsastrea and Pachyseris, they were characterised by a healthy cover ranging from 22-39%. We found a strong inshore to offshore gradient in hard coral cover, diversity and community composition as a direct result of spatial differences in sediment but over scales of <10 km. As well as distance to shore, we included other environmental variables like reef depth and sediment accumulation/size that explained 62.5% of variation in benthic composition among sites. None of the reefs showed evidence of coral disease and relatively low prevalence of compromised health signs including bleaching (6.7%), bioerosion (6.6%), pigmentation (2.2%), scars (1.1%) and mucus production (0.5%). There were, however, seasonal differences in bioerosion rates which increased five-fold after the 2017 wet season. Tagged colonies of Diploastrea and Pachyseries showing partial bleaching in 2016, had fully recovered by 90-100% the following year. Differences in measures of coral function like that of symbiont density and chlorophyll a for Montipora, Pachyseris and Acropora were not detected among sites. This study provides further evidence that turbid coral reefs exposed to seasonally elevated sediment loads can exhibit relatively high coral cover and be resilient to disease and elevated sea surface temperatures.

scholarly journals Ascidians Outbreak: A Threat For Coral Reefs in Panjang Island, Jepara

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwi Haryanti ◽  
Diah Permata Wijayanti ◽  
Bambang Yulianto ◽  
Mada Triandala Sibero ◽  
Lutfillah Arief Ghinaa Shabrina
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Dead Coral ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
High Sedimentation ◽  
Reef Health

Eutrophication and sedimentation have become a major threat to coral reefs in nearby areas with anthropogenic activities. These threats are often accompanied by shifting ecosystems from coral-rich to fast-growing algae-dominated water, and high prevalence of coral disease. In Panjang Island, Jepara, we observed the outbreak of photosynthetic ascidians along with a high sedimentation at the eastern part of the island. The ascidians were seen overgrowing most substrates including corals, macroalgae, dead-coral-algae, and rubbles in April to May 2019. In July and August 2019, observation and data collection using quadrant transect were conducted to monitor the outbreak. The result showed that ascidians were still present in the area, despite becoming pale and smaller. This report shows that the outbreak of these photosynthetic ascidians was not persistent, however, the effect on coral reef health should not be overlooked.

scholarly journals A Study of Fauna Assemblages and Their Relation to the Sediment Accumulation in the Coral Reef Area, NW of the Arabian Gulf

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (1D) ◽  
pp. 114-128
Author(s):  
Zainab Al-Humaidan
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Science Center ◽  
Reef Area ◽  
Total Percentage ◽  
Coral Reef Area ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

The discovery of coral reefs in Iraqi marine waters is a new event in 2012 and it covers an area of approximately 28 km2 at the southern end of Khor Al-Amia. A team of divers from the German Freiburg Institute for Mining and Technology and Marine Science Center at the University of Basra were able to find coral reefs in the NW part of the Arabian Gulf. The aim of this article is to study fauna assemblages and try to understand the relationship between the accumulation of sediments and fauna assemblages in the Coral Reef area NW of the Arabian Gulf, southern of Iraq. Four surface samples of sediments of the area were studied and determined the relationship between the types of texture and the amount of fauna and shell fragments. Mollusca was chosen from among the existing groups of fauna due to the great number of species and large sizes, also Bryozoa studied in the region. The sand texture is predominant in the sediments of the area and the sand ratio was between 55-97% most of their grains are fine and round. The sediments of the region were distinguished by a high percentage of shells between 24–69% from the total percentage of sand. The phenomenon of multiple colors of sand and fauna revealed this due to the presence of minerals and oxides, impurities and pollution in the region, and genetic factors concerning fauna. Many species were diagnosed in the sediments of the region, reaching 62 species of Mollusca and Bryozoa. Mollusca is classified into three types (Gastropod, Pelecypoda and Scaphopoda). Some species were recorded for the first time in the region such as Japonactaeonpusillus, Cylichna cylindracea and Cuna majeeda.

scholarly journals NON-RANDOM TIMING OF ECOLOGICAL SHIFTS ON CARIBBEAN CORAL REEFS SUGGESTS REGIONAL CAUSES OF CHANGE

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Precht ◽  
Richard B. Aronson ◽  
Toby A. Gardner ◽  
Jennifer A. Gill ◽  
Julie P. Hawkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
Coral Mortality ◽  
Macroalgal Cover

AbstractCaribbean reefs have experienced unprecedented changes in the past four decades. Of great concern is the perceived widespread shift from coral to macroalgal dominance and the question of whether it represents a new, stable equilibrium for coral-reef communities. The primary causes of the shift -- grazing pressure (top-down), nutrient loading (bottom-up) or direct coral mortality (side-in) -- still remain somewhat controversial in the coral reef literature. We have attempted to tease out the relative importance of each of these causes. Four insights emerge from our analysis of an early regional dataset of information on the benthic composition of Caribbean reefs spanning the years 1977–2001. First, although three-quarters of reef sites have experienced coral declines concomitant with macroalgal increases, fewer than 10% of the more than 200 sites studied were dominated by macroalgae in 2001, by even the most conservative definition of dominance. Using relative dominance as the threshold, a total of 49 coral-to-macroalgae shifts were detected. This total represents ∼35% of all sites that were dominated by coral at the start of their monitoring periods. Four shifts (8.2%) occurred because of coral loss with no change in macroalgal cover, 15 (30.6%) occurred because of macroalgal gain without coral loss, and 30 (61.2%) occurred owing to concomitant coral decline and macroalgal increase. Second, the timing of shifts at the regional scale is most consistent with the side-in model of reef degradation, which invokes coral mortality as a precursor to macroalgal takeover, because more shifts occurred after regional coral-mortality events than expected by chance. Third, instantaneous observations taken at the start and end of the time-series for individual sites showed these reefs existed along a continuum of coral and macroalgal cover. The continuous, broadly negative relationship between coral and macroalgal cover suggests that in some cases coral-to-macroalgae phase shifts may be reversed by removing sources of perturbation or restoring critical components such as the herbivorous sea urchin Diadema antillarum to the system. The five instances in which macroalgal dominance was reversed corroborate the conclusion that macroalgal dominance is not a stable, alternative community state as has been commonly assumed. Fourth, the fact that the loss in regional coral cover and concomitant changes to the benthic community are related to punctuated, discrete events with known causes (i.e. coral disease and bleaching), lends credence to the hypothesis that coral reefs of the Caribbean have been under assault from climate-change-related maladies since the 1970s.

scholarly journals Kondisi Kesehatan Karang Genus Porites di Perairan Jemeluk dan Penuktukan-Bali

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Ni Luh Putu Febbi Mellani ◽  
I Gede Hendrawan ◽  
Widiastuti Karim
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
Coastal Morphology ◽  
Coral Diseases ◽  
White Plague ◽  
Belt Transect ◽  
Coral Health

This research was conducted to determine the coral health condition of genus Porites at Jemeluk beach and Penuktukan beach with the different of reef geomorphology. Coral reef data was collected  for two days in Jemeluk beach (reef flats) in March 2017 and in Penuktukan beach (reef slope) in April 2017. Each observation location consisted of 3 stations parallel to the coastline. Observation of coral health data using belt transect method size 2 x 25 m with width of 1 meter each to left and right side. Photo documentation was performed on coral reefs of Porites and subsequently identified the types of diseases and forms of health problems using Coral Disease Handbook, Guidelines for Assessment, Monitoring and Management. The types of coral diseases found in both beaches are ulcerative white spot and white plague. The number of dominant colonies that infected with the disease was found on Jemeluk beach which has coastal morphology of coral reefs. The coral health conditions of the genus Porites found on Jemeluk and Penuktukan beaches are in an unhealthy condition. Compromised health is dominant in Jemeluk beach, this is estimated to be caused by the presence of river flow at observation sites which  is relatively high. In addition, the coral reef morphology in Jemeluk beach is reef flat causing the reefs in this area to be more susceptible to damage.

scholarly journals Energetic differences between bacterioplankton trophic groups and coral reef resistance

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1829) ◽  
pp. 20160467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey McDole Somera ◽  
Barbara Bailey ◽  
Katie Barott ◽  
Juris Grasis ◽  
Mark Hatay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Krebs Cycle ◽  
Average Energy ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Metabolic Theory ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽  
Energy Channels

Coral reefs are among the most productive and diverse marine ecosystems on the Earth. They are also particularly sensitive to changing energetic requirements by different trophic levels. Microbialization specifically refers to the increase in the energetic metabolic demands of microbes relative to macrobes and is significantly correlated with increasing human influence on coral reefs. In this study, metabolic theory of ecology is used to quantify the relative contributions of two broad bacterioplankton groups, autotrophs and heterotrophs, to energy flux on 27 Pacific coral reef ecosystems experiencing human impact to varying degrees. The effective activation energy required for photosynthesis is lower than the average energy of activation for the biochemical reactions of the Krebs cycle, and changes in the proportional abundance of these two groups can greatly affect rates of energy and materials cycling. We show that reef-water communities with a higher proportional abundance of microbial autotrophs expend more metabolic energy per gram of microbial biomass. Increased energy and materials flux through fast energy channels (i.e. water-column associated microbial autotrophs) may dampen the detrimental effects of increased heterotrophic loads (e.g. coral disease) on coral reef systems experiencing anthropogenic disturbance.

scholarly journals ­Inshore, turbid coral reefs from northwest Borneo exhibiting low diversity, but high cover show evidence of resilience to various environmental stressors

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Brown ◽  
Nicola Browne ◽  
Jennifer L McIlwain ◽  
Jens Zinke
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Mucus Production ◽  
Hard Coral Cover

For reefs in SE Asia the synergistic effects of rapid land-development, insufficient environmental policies and a lack of enforcement has led to poor water quality and compromised coral health from increased sediment and pollution. Those inshore turbid coral reefs, subject to significant sediment inputs, may also inherit some resilience to the effects of thermal stress and coral bleaching. We studied the inshore turbid reefs near Miri, in northwest Borneo, through a comprehensive assessment of coral cover, health and function in addition to quantifying sediment-related parameters. Although Miri Reefs had comparatively low coral species diversity, dominated by massive and encrusting forms of Diploastrea, Porites, Montipora, Favites, Dipsastrea and Pachyseris, they were characterised by a healthy cover ranging from 22-39%. We found a strong inshore to offshore gradient in hard coral cover, diversity and community composition as a direct result of spatial differences in sediment but over scales of <10 km. As well as distance to shore, we included other environmental variables like reef depth and sediment accumulation/size that explained 62.5% of variation in benthic composition among sites. None of the reefs showed evidence of coral disease and relatively low prevalence of compromised health signs including bleaching (6.7%), bioerosion (6.6%), pigmentation (2.2%), scars (1.1%) and mucus production (0.5%). There were, however, seasonal differences in bioerosion rates which increased five-fold after the 2017 wet season. Tagged colonies of Diploastrea and Pachyseries showing partial bleaching in 2016, had fully recovered by 90-100% the following year. Differences in measures of coral function like that of symbiont density and chlorophyll a for Montipora, Pachyseris and Acropora were not detected among sites. This study provides further evidence that turbid coral reefs exposed to seasonally elevated sediment loads can exhibit relatively high coral cover and be resilient to disease and elevated sea surface temperatures.

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