Climatic and biotic thresholds of coral-reef shutdown

Toth, Lauren T.; Aronson, Richard B.; Cobb, Kim M.; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. Lawrence; Grothe, Pamela R.; Sayani, H. R.

doi:10.1038/nclimate2541

Cited by 62 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(101 reference statements)

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“…However, recent geological and ecological research on fossil reefs in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) (Smithers et al, 2006, Leonard et al, 2015, Ryan et al, 2016a, 2016b and wider Indo-Pacific , Hamanaka et al, 2012, Toth et al, 2015 identified intervals of significant reef "turn-off" in response to natural environmental forces earlier in their development during the mid-to late Holocene. It is therefore important to understand the longer term histories of coral reefs as they not only provide important information about significant palaeoenvironmental change, but also provide greater insight into the persistence (or not) of reef growth through time.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They were attributed to oscillating sea level and relatively cold sea-surface temperatures associated with a weakened Kuroshio Current (Hamanaka et al, 2012). In Hawaii and Panama (Toth et al, 2012(Toth et al, , 2015, cessation of reef…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Increased ENSO variability, coupled with seasonal upwelling in Pacific Panama, is thought to have caused a 2.5-kyr hiatus in reef growth in the tropical eastern Pacific beginning at 4 ka (Toth et al, 2012(Toth et al, , 2015. Whilst increased ENSO variability (~4-5 ka) in the Indo-Pacific remains controversial (Clement et al, 2000, Corrège et al, 2000, Cobb et al, 2013, McGregor et al, 2013, McGregor and Gagan, 2004, warmer and wetter conditions during the mid-Holocene have been identified both from fossil corals in the GBR (Gagan et al, 1998, Roche et al, 2014 and from terrestrial records from northeast Australia (Kershaw, 1976, Kershaw, 1983, Nott and Price, 1994, Shulmeister and Lees, 1995, Reeves et al, 2013.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intense seasonal upwelling was identified as a secondary contributor to reef turn-off on many eastern Pacific Panama reefs, resulting in increased turbidity and decreased oceanic pH (Toth et al, 2012(Toth et al, , 2015. Increased upwelling of cool, nutrient-rich water via shelf break upwelling or tidal jetting in the northern and central regions of the GBR at ~11 ka has been considered responsible for supporting the construction of large Halimeda bioherms behind reef platforms on the mid-outer shelf (Searle and Flood, 1988, Wolanski et al, 1988, Hopley et al, 2007, McNeil et al, 2016.…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Successive phases of Holocene reef flat development: Evidence from the mid- to outer Great Barrier Reef

Dechnik

Webster

Webb

et al. 2017

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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A re-examination of 46 recently published U/Th reef flat ages from Heron and One Tree reefs in the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) identified several distinct Holocene reef growth phases with a clear 2.3-kyr hiatus in lateral reef accretion from 3.9 ka to 1.5 ka. An analysis of all available published radiocarbon reef flat ages (165) from 27 other mid-outer platform reefs revealed a similar hiatus between 3.6 ka and 1.6 ka for the northern, south-central and southern GBR. However, no hiatus in reef flat growth was observed in reefs from the central GBR with ages ranging from 7.6 ka to 0.9 ka. Increased upwelling, turbidity and cyclone activity in response to increased sea-surface temperature (SST's), precipitation and El-Nino Southern Oscillation variability have been ruled out as possible mechanisms of reef turn-off for the midouter platform reefs. Rather, a fall (~0.5 m) in relative sea level at 4-3.5 ka is the most likely explanation for why reefs in the northern and southern regions turned off during this time.Greater hydro-isostatic adjustment of the central GBR and long term subsidence of the HalifaxBasin may have provided greater vertical accommodation for the mid-outer reefs of the central GBR, thus allowing these reefs to continue to accrete vertically despite a fall in sea level ~4-3.5 ka. Further evidence for greater subsidence in this region includes the lack of senile reefs and dominance of incipient and juvenile reefs in the central GBR. This suggests that these reefs approached sea level considerably later than the northern and southern reefs, consistent with their deeper antecedent substrates. Thus, these results not only provide important information about possible reef flat demise in response to natural environmental factors, but also provide insights into regional subsidence that affected relative sea level along the east Australian margin during the Holocene.

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Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Successive phases of Holocene reef flat development: Evidence from the mid- to outer Great Barrier Reef

Dechnik

Webster

Webb

et al. 2017

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…They have been linked to increased ENSO variability (Toth et al, 2012(Toth et al, , 2015 and stronger upwelling conditions (Glynn et 15 al., 1983), favoring dissolution and erosion of reef frameworks while at the same time restricting coral growth.…”

Section: Ecological Implications For Coral Reefs 20mentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural ocean acidification at Papagayo upwelling system (North Pacific Costa Rica): implications for reef development

Sánchez-Noguera¹,

Stuhldreier²,

Cortés³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Abstract.Numerous experiments have shown that ocean acidification impedes coral calcification, but knowledge about in situ reef ecosystem response to ocean acidification is still scarce. Bahía Culebra, situated at the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, is a location naturally exposed to acidic conditions due to the Papagayo seasonal upwelling. We measured pH 15 and pCO2 in situ during two non-upwelling seasons (June 2012, May-June 2013, with a high temporal resolution of every 15 and 30 min, respectively, using two Submersible Autonomous Moored Instruments (SAMI-pH, SAMI-CO2). These results were compared with published data from the upwelling season 2009. Findings revealed that the carbonate system in Bahía Culebra shows a high temporal variability. Incoming offshore waters drive inter-and intra-seasonal changes. Lowest pH (7.8) and highest pCO2 (658.3 µatm) values measured during a cold-water intrusion event in the non-upwelling season were 20 similar to those minimum values reported from upwelling season (pH = 7.8, pCO2 = 643.5 µatm), unveiling that natural acidification occurs sporadically also in non-upwelling season. This affects the interaction of photosynthesis, respiration, calcification, and carbonate dissolution and the resulting diel cycle of pH and pCO2 in the reefs of Bahía Culebra. During non-upwelling season, the aragonite saturation state (Ωa) rises to values of >3.3 and enhances calcification. Aragonite saturation state values during upwelling season falls below 2.5, hampering calcification and coral growth. Low reef accretion 25 in Bahía Culebra indicates high erosion rates and that these reefs grow on the verge of their ecological tolerance. The Ωa threshold values for coral growth, derived from the correlation between Ωa and coral linear extension rates, suggest that future ocean acidification will threaten reefs in Bahía Culebra. These data contribute to build a better understanding of the carbonate system dynamics and coral reefs key response (e.g. coral growth) to natural low-pH conditions, in upwelling areas in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and beyond. 30Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi

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Holocene variability in the intensity of wind-gap upwelling in the tropical eastern Pacific

et al. 2015

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Wind-driven upwelling in Pacific Panamá is a significant source of oceanographic variability in the tropical eastern Pacific. This upwelling system provides a critical teleconnection between the Atlantic and tropical Pacific that may impact climate variability on a global scale. Despite its importance to oceanographic circulation, ecology, and climate, little is known about the long-term stability of the Panamanian upwelling system or its interaction with climatic forcing on millennial time scales. Using a combination of radiocarbon and U-series dating of fossil corals collected in cores from five sites across Pacific Panamá, we reconstructed the local radiocarbon reservoir correction, ΔR, from~6750 cal B.P. to present. Because the ΔR of shallow-water environments is elevated by upwelling, our data set represents a millennial-scale record of spatial and temporal variability of the Panamanian upwelling system. The general oceanographic gradient from relatively strong upwelling in the Gulf of Panamá to weak-to-absent upwelling in the Gulf of Chiriquí was present throughout our record; however, the intensity of upwelling in the Gulf of Panamá varied significantly through time. Our reconstructions suggest that upwelling in the Gulf of Panamá is weak at present; however, the middle Holocene was characterized by periods of enhanced upwelling, with the most intense upwelling occurring just after of a regional shutdown in the development of reefs at~4100 cal B.P. Comparisons with regional climate proxies suggest that, whereas the Intertropical Convergence Zone is the primary control on modern upwelling in Pacific Panamá, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation drove the millennial-scale variability of upwelling during the Holocene.

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Climatic and biotic thresholds of coral-reef shutdown

Cited by 62 publications

References 47 publications

Successive phases of Holocene reef flat development: Evidence from the mid- to outer Great Barrier Reef

Successive phases of Holocene reef flat development: Evidence from the mid- to outer Great Barrier Reef

Natural ocean acidification at Papagayo upwelling system (North Pacific Costa Rica): implications for reef development

Holocene variability in the intensity of wind-gap upwelling in the tropical eastern Pacific

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