Journal
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
Volume 44, Issue 2, Pages 552-564Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/esp.4516
Keywords
fringing coral reef; radiometric dating; sediment transport; sediment connectivity; Ningaloo Reef
Funding
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship [FT110100201]
- ARC Discovery Project [DP140102026]
- Gorgon Barrow Island Net Conservation Benefits Fund, Pilbara Marine Conservation Partnership
- Scholarship for International Research Fees (SIRF)
- University International Stipend (UIS)
- Australia Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies [CE140100020]
- Dive Ningaloo
- Oceanwise Expeditions
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Reef-associated landforms are coupled to the health of the reef ecosystem which produces the sediment that forms and maintains these landforms. However, this connection can make reef-fronted coastlines sensitive to the impacts of climate change, given that any decline in ecosystem health (e.g. decreasing sediment supply) or changes to physical processes (e.g. sea level rise, increasing wave energy) could drive the sediment budgets of these systems into a net erosive state. Therefore, knowledge of both the sediment sources and transport mechanisms is required to predict the sensitivity of reef-associated landforms to future climate change. Here, we examine the benthic habitat composition, sediment characteristics (composition, texture, and age), and transport mechanisms and pathways to understand the interconnections between coastal morphology and the reef system at Tantabiddi, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Benthic surveys and sediment composition analysis revealed that although live coral accounts for less than 5% of the benthic cover, coral is the dominant sediment constituent (34% on average). Sediment ages (U-238/Th-230) were mostly found to be thousands of years old, suggesting that the primary sediment source is relic reef material (e.g. Holocene reef framework). Sediment transport across the lagoon was quantified through measurements of ripple migration rates, which were found to be shoreward migrating and responsible for feeding the large shoreline salient in the lee of the reef. The derived sediment fluxes were comparable with previously measured rates of sediment production by bioerosion. These results suggest that sediment budgets of systems dependent on old (>10(3)years) source materials may be more resilient to climate change as present-day reef health and community composition (i.e. sources of new' carbonate production) have limited influence on sediment supply. Therefore, the vulnerability of reef-associated landforms in these systems will be dictated by future changes to mechanisms of sediment generation (e.g. bioerosion) and/or physical processes. (c) 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available