A continuous, real-time water quality monitoring system for the coral reef ecosystems of Nanwan Bay, Southern Taiwan

Tew, Kwee Siong; Leu, Ming‐Yih; Wang, Jih Terng; Chang, Chin-Liang; Chen, Chung-Chi; Meng, Pei Jie

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.11.022

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…A combination of bleaching events and typhoons followed by subsequent landslides and sewage overflows was suspected to be the cause of the rapid shift in the community as well as the local loss of biodiversity. Instead of the sudden regime shifts from destructive fishing practices commonly found in Asia-Pacific coral regions, the KNP reefs risk slowly yet irreversibly shifting to a lower biodiversity state with decreasing ecosystem services [24,25], which could also damage local livelihoods [26]. These corals may regenerate to a pre-disturbed state but are unlikely to unless conservation measures are enacted [15,23].…”

Section: Background On the Kenting National Parkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Internet Surveys to Estimate Visitors’ Willingness to Pay for Coral Reef Conservation in the Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Maynard

Château

Ribas-Deulofeu

et al. 2019

Water

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Without appropriate conservation action, coral reefs globally continue to degrade, causing declines in economic value. Therefore, their local conservation and quantifying its benefits become increasingly important. However, accurately measuring these values remains expensive or complicated. Leveraging digital survey tools, an interdisciplinary on-line survey was created to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for coral reef conservation using pictures and ecological data. Using the contingent valuation method we estimate current values as well as changes in value due to restoration or degradation for coral ecosystems in the Kenting National Park (KNP) in Taiwan. Results suggest that conserving degraded coral reef ecosystems leads to larger gains in value than healthier ones. Average WTP estimates a non-market economic value of 680 million US$ per year for the whole KNP marine area. Despite potential self-reporting bias and limits on sample size, these values appear consistent with similar studies and suggest future economic sampling strategies for KNP.

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Section: Background On the Kenting National Parkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Internet Surveys to Estimate Visitors’ Willingness to Pay for Coral Reef Conservation in the Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Maynard

Château

Ribas-Deulofeu

et al. 2019

Water

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“…However, the coral reefs in southern Taiwan (Nanwan Bay) have not been severely affected by coral bleaching events under the influence of global high sea temperatures (Tew et al, 2014). Nanwan Bay, which is located at the southern tip of Taiwan, ranges from the longitude 120.72°E to 120.87°E and latitude 21.83°N to 21.97°N and is bounded by two capes, which are ∼14 km from each other (Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The cold water upwelling to the surface causes the SST to drop, which helps to alleviate the stress caused by extended periods of high temperature on the coral (Riegl & Piller, 2003). Tew et al (2014) observed that eddy‐induced upwelling may affect not only the SST but also other abiotic seawater quality parameters, such as salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen (Rivest & Gouhier, 2015). The drastic changes in the daily SST may make it difficult for some corals to survive or make cause some coral populations to develop natural adaptation (Keshavmurthy et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tide‐Induced Periodic Sea Surface Temperature Drops in the Coral Reef Area of Nanwan Bay, Southern Taiwan

et al. 2020

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Tidal current-induced cyclonic eddies cause cold-water upwelling and periodic sea surface temperature (SST) drops around the coral reef area in Nanwan Bay, which is located at the southern tip of Taiwan. This study used Himawari-8 satellite data and tide gauge and coastal ocean dynamics application radar (CODAR) data to analyze the characteristics of the SST drops and cyclonic eddy propagation and used an oceanic general circulation model (OGCM) to simulate the tidal current flowing process. According to the CODAR data analysis, the mixed primary semidiurnal tide had an average current velocity of 0.3-0.4 m s −1 throughout the bay, and the average life cycle of a cyclonic eddy is 6.6 hr, with a propagation speed of 0.35 m s −1 . The SST drop during the spring tide period was greater than that during the neap tide period, and the SST dropped in both summer and winter. The average daily SST drop in the summer reached 2°C with a maximum observed value of 4.7°C, and the SST drop rate was 0.3-0.5°C hr −1 . The annual mean chlorophyll-a concentration was 0.25 mg m −3 . This study explored the special properties of the Nanwan Bay coral reef area from the perspective of ocean physics to allow ecologists to facilitate the implementation of long-term conservation and monitoring programs.Plain Language Summary In recent years, the increased global sea temperatures have caused severe coral bleaching; however, Nanwan Bay has suffered a comparatively smaller impact. To understand why, we analyzed satellite and radar data. We found that Nanwan Bay experienced an almost daily sea surface temperature (SST) drop during the summer and that this periodic variation was caused by a cyclonic eddy upwelling cold water to the surface. In the summer, the SST drop was 2°C on average and dropped at a rate of 0.3-0.5°C hr −1 . The observational record indicated that the water cooled as much as 4.7°C in 1 day. These eddies were caused by the unique topography in this area of the bay; they survived an average of 6.6 hr and moved at a rate of 0.35 m s −1 . The formed eddies disappeared in the bay or flowed southward out of the bay. With this study, we hope to help marine ecologists understand the Nanwan Bay environment from a geophysical perspective so that they have sufficient background knowledge when investigating coral biology and coral reef ecology in the future.

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“…Since 1957, seawater temperatures around Taiwan have increased by 1.55°C, and this region is among the most rapidly warming areas of the world [ 39 ]. Extensive bleaching events occurred in 1998 and 2007 at Kenting [ 40 , 41 ] causing, at some sites, an important decrease in coral coverage. Recovery in some cases has been interrupted by tropical storms that regularly affect Taiwan reefs [ 42 ], as well as a variety of local stressors such as outbreaks of invasive species ( Terpios at Green Island [ 43 ], Condylactis in Kenting [ 18 ]), and human-induced disturbances usually related to the erratic development and use of the coastline ( i .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure of Benthic Communities along the Taiwan Latitudinal Gradient

et al. 2016

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The distribution and the structure of benthic assemblages vary with latitude. However, few studies have described benthic communities along large latitudinal gradients, and patterns of variation are not fully understood. Taiwan, lying between 21.90°N and 25.30°N, is located at the center of the Philippine-Japan arc and lies at the northern margin of coral reef development. A wide range of habitats is distributed along this latitudinal gradient, from extensive fringing coral reefs at the southern coast to non-reefal communities at the north. In this study, we examined the structure of benthic communities around Taiwan, by comparing its assemblages in four regions, analyzing the effects of the latitudinal gradient, and highlighting regional characteristics. A total of 25 sites, 125 transects, and 2,625 photographs were used to analyze the benthic communities. Scleractinian corals present an obvious gradient of increasing diversity from north to south, whereas macro-algae diversity is higher on the north-eastern coast. At the country scale, Taiwanese coral communities were dominated by turf algae (49%). At the regional scale, we observed an important heterogeneity that may be caused by local disturbances and habitat degradation that smooths out regional differences. In this context, our observations highlight the importance of managing local stressors responsible for reef degradation. Overall, this study provides an important baseline upon which future changes in benthic assemblages around Taiwan can be assessed.

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A continuous, real-time water quality monitoring system for the coral reef ecosystems of Nanwan Bay, Southern Taiwan

Cited by 19 publications

References 39 publications

Using Internet Surveys to Estimate Visitors’ Willingness to Pay for Coral Reef Conservation in the Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Using Internet Surveys to Estimate Visitors’ Willingness to Pay for Coral Reef Conservation in the Kenting National Park, Taiwan

Tide‐Induced Periodic Sea Surface Temperature Drops in the Coral Reef Area of Nanwan Bay, Southern Taiwan

Structure of Benthic Communities along the Taiwan Latitudinal Gradient

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