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Full-Text Articles in Marine Biology
Interannual And Decadal Variability Of The Western Pacific Sea Surface Condition For The Years 1787-2000: Reconstruction Based On Stable Isotope Record From A Guam Coral, Ryuji Asami, Tsutomu Yamada, Yasufumi Iryu, Terrence M. Quinn, Christopher P. Meyer, Gustav Paulay
Interannual And Decadal Variability Of The Western Pacific Sea Surface Condition For The Years 1787-2000: Reconstruction Based On Stable Isotope Record From A Guam Coral, Ryuji Asami, Tsutomu Yamada, Yasufumi Iryu, Terrence M. Quinn, Christopher P. Meyer, Gustav Paulay
Marine Science Faculty Publications
We present a monthly resolved, 213‐year stable isotope time series from a coral from Guam (13°N, 145°E), which is located on the northern edge of the western Pacific warm pool. Oxygen isotopic composition of the coral skeleton (δ18Ocoral) shows seasonal, interannual, and decadal variability, which documents significant oceanographic changes related to thermal and hydrologic variations in this region. The δ18Ocoral anomaly reflects sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly and sea surface salinity (SSS) anomaly with significant r values of −0.69 and 0.49, respectively, which are strongly linked to oceanographic changes that occur during El …
Coral Recruitment Patterns In The Florida Keys, Alison L. Moulding
Coral Recruitment Patterns In The Florida Keys, Alison L. Moulding
Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles
This study examines scleractinian zooxanthellate coral recruitment patterns in the Florida Keys to determine if differences in density or community composition exist between regions. From July to September 2002, nine patch reefs, three in each of the upper, middle and lower Keys, were surveyed for coral recruits (colonies <5 cm in diameter) using randomly placed quadrats and transects. Coral recruits were enumerated, measured, and identified to genus. Fourteen genera of corals were observed across all sites and ranged from five to 13 per site. Densities ranged from 6.29 ± 1.92 (mean ± SE) to 39.08 ± 4.53 recruits m-2, and there were significant site and regional differences in recruit densities. The density of recruits in the upper Keys was significantly lower than in the middle and lower Keys. In addition, the upper Keys were less diverse and had a different recruit size-frequency distribution. The majority of recruits were non-massive scleractinian species that contribute relatively little to overall reef-building processes, a finding that is similar to previous studies. Fewer recruits of massive species were found in the upper Keys compared to the middle and lower Keys. The recruitment patterns of the reefs in the upper Keys could potentially hinder their ability to recover from stress and disturbances.