Carbonate production of Micronesian reefs suppressed by thermal anomalies and Acanthaster as sea-level rises

Woesik, Robert van; Cacciapaglia, Christopher William

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224887

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Most reefs in the Caribbean region are currently in a net-erosional or net-neutral state, which is a product of decreasing coral cover from coral bleaching and disease outbreaks 11 , 12 . Similarly, some reefs in the central Pacific are threatened by increasing thermal stress and predator outbreaks, and they are likewise experiencing low carbonate-production rates 13 , 14 . On the other hand, reefs in the western Pacific have experienced fewer thermal-stress events and disease outbreaks than the central Pacific and the Caribbean; these reefs generally maintain high rates of carbonate production 14 , 15 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upwelling, climate change, and the shifting geography of coral reef development

Rodriguez-Ruano

Toth

Enochs

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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The eastern tropical Pacific is oceanographically unfavorable for coral-reef development. Nevertheless, reefs have persisted there for the last 7000 years. Rates of vertical accretion during the Holocene have been similar in the strong-upwelling Gulf of Panamá (GoP) and the adjacent, weak-upwelling Gulf of Chiriquí (GoC); however, seasonal upwelling in the GoP exacerbated a climate-driven hiatus in reef development in the late Holocene. The situation is now reversed and seasonal upwelling in the GoP currently buffers thermal stress, creating a refuge for coral growth. We developed carbonate budget models to project the capacity of reefs in both gulfs to keep up with future sea-level rise. On average, the GoP had significantly higher net carbonate production rates than the GoC. With an estimated contemporary reef-accretion potential (RAP) of 5.5 mm year−1, reefs in the GoP are projected to be able to keep up with sea-level rise if CO2 emissions are reduced, but not under current emissions trajectories. With an estimated RAP of just 0.3 mm year−1, reefs in the GoC are likely already unable to keep up with contemporary sea-level rise in Panamá (1.4 mm year−1). Whereas the GoP has the potential to support functional reefs in the near-term, our study indicates that their long-term persistence will depend on reduction of greenhouse gases.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upwelling, climate change, and the shifting geography of coral reef development

Rodriguez-Ruano

Toth

Enochs

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…To date, most studies that have recorded spatial differences in carbonate production have been localized [ 28 , 29 , 36 , 37 ], or focused on the Caribbean [ 11 ]. No studies have assessed carbonate production across large expanses of the Pacific Ocean.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal stress jeopardizes carbonate production of coral reefs across the western and central Pacific Ocean

Woesik

Cacciapaglia

2021

PLoS ONE

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Coral reefs protect islands, coastal areas, and their inhabitants from storm waves and provide essential goods and services to millions of people worldwide. Yet contemporary rates of ocean warming and local disturbances are jeopardizing the reef-building capacity of coral reefs to keep up with rapid rates of sea-level rise. This study compared the reef-building capacity of shallow-water habitats at 142 sites across a potential thermal-stress gradient in the tropical Pacific Ocean. We sought to determine the extent to which habitat differences and environmental variables potentially affect rates of net carbonate production. In general, outer-exposed reefs and lagoonal-patch reefs had higher rates of net carbonate production than nearshore reefs. The study found that thermal anomalies, particularly the intensity of thermal-stress events, play a significant role in reducing net carbonate production—evident as a diminishing trend of net carbonate production from the western to the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The results also showed a latent spatial effect along the same gradient, not explained by thermal stress, suggesting that reefs in the western tropical Pacific Ocean are potentially enhanced by the proximity of reefs in the Coral Triangle—an effect that diminishes with increasing distance and isolation.

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“…However, coral colonization on reef flats and net reef accretion has been measured on some reefs experiencing relative SLR (Brown et al., 2011; Saunders et al., 2016; Scopélitis et al., 2011), suggesting that reef accretion in response to future SLR is still possible under the right conditions. The potential for vertical reef growth to keep pace with SLR is likely to be spatially variable and is contingent on the existing reef health and the trajectory of future climate change stressors (Perry et al., 2018; Ryan et al., 2019; van Woesik and Cacciapaglia, 2018, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Future Reef Growth on Morphological Response of Coral Reef Islands to Sea‐Level Rise

Masselink

McCall

Beetham³

et al. 2021

JGR Earth Surface

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Coral reefs are widely recognized for providing a natural breakwater effect that modulates erosion and flooding hazards on low‐lying sedimentary reef islands. Increased water depth across reef platforms due sea‐level rise (SLR) can compromise this breakwater effect and enhance island exposure to these hazards, but reef accretion in response to SLR may positively contribute to island resilience. Morphodynamic studies suggest that reef islands can adjust to SLR by maintaining freeboard (island crest elevation above still water level) through overwash deposition and island accretion, but the impact of different future reef accretion trajectories on the morphological response of islands remains unknown. Here we show, using a process‐based morphodynamic model, that, although reef growth significantly affects wave transformation processes and island morphology, it does not lead to decreased coastal flooding and island inundation. According to the model, reef islands evolve during SLR by attuning their elevation to the maximum wave runup and islands fronted by a growing reef platform attain lower elevations than those without reef growth, but have similar overwash regimes. The mean overwash discharge Qover across the island crest plays a key role in the ability of islands to keep up with SLR and maintain freeboard, with a Qover value of O (10 l m−1 s−1) separating island construction from destruction. Islands, therefore, can grow vertically to keep up with SLR via flooding and overwash if specific forcing and sediment supply conditions are met, offering hope for uninhabited and sparely populated islands. However, this physical island response will negatively impact infrastructure and assets on developed islands.

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Carbonate production of Micronesian reefs suppressed by thermal anomalies and Acanthaster as sea-level rises

Cited by 10 publications

References 45 publications

Upwelling, climate change, and the shifting geography of coral reef development

Upwelling, climate change, and the shifting geography of coral reef development

Thermal stress jeopardizes carbonate production of coral reefs across the western and central Pacific Ocean

Role of Future Reef Growth on Morphological Response of Coral Reef Islands to Sea‐Level Rise

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