Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Long-term records of coral calcification across the central Great Barrier Reef: assessing the impacts of river runoff and climate change

  • Report
  • Published:
Coral Reefs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Calcification rates are reported for 41 long-lived Porites corals from 7 reefs, in an inshore to offshore transect across the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Over multi-decadal timescales, corals in the mid-shelf (1947–2008) and outer reef (1952–2004) regions of the GBR exhibit a significant increase in calcification of 10.9 ± 1.1 % (1.4 ± 0.2 % per decade; ±1 SE) and 11.1 ± 3.9 % (2.1 ± 0.8 % per decade), respectively, while inner-shelf (1930–2008), reefs show a decline of 4.6 ± 1.3 % (0.6 ± 0.2 % per decade). This long-term decline in calcification for the inner GBR is attributed to the persistent ongoing effects of high sediment/nutrients loads from wet season river discharges, compounded by the effects of thermal stress, especially during the 1998 bleaching event. For the recent period (1990–2008), our data show recovery from the 1998 bleaching event, with no significant trend in the rates of calcification (1.1 ± 2.0 %) for the inner reefs, while corals from the mid-shelf central GBR show a decline of 3.3 ± 0.9 %. These results are in marked contrast to the extreme reef-wide declines of 14.2 % reported by De’ath et al. (2009) for the period of 1990–2005. The De’ath et al. (2009) results are, however, found to be compromised by the inclusion of incomplete final years, duplicated records, together with a bias toward inshore reefs strongly affected by the 1998 bleaching. Our new findings nevertheless continue to raise concerns, with the inner-shelf reefs continuing to show long-term declines in calcification consistent with increased disturbance from land-based effects. In contrast, the more ‘pristine’ mid- and outer-shelf reefs appear to be undergoing a transition from increasing to decreasing rates of calcification, possibly reflecting the effects of CO2-driven climate change. Our study highlights the importance of properly undertaken, regular assessments of coral calcification that are representative of the distinctive cross-shelf environments and discriminate between local disturbances and the global impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

References

  • Anthony KRN, Fabricius KE (2000) Shifting roles of heterotrophy and autotrophy in coral energetics under varying turbidity. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 252:221–253

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes DJ, Taylor DL (1973) In situ studies of calcification and photosynthetic carbon fixation in the coral Montastrea annularis. Helgol wiss Meeresunters 24:284–291

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berkelmans R, Oliver JK (1999) Large scale bleaching of corals on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 18:55–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkelmans R, De’ath G, Kininmonth S, Skirving WJ (2004) A comparison of the 1998 and 2002 coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef: spatial correlation, patterns, and predictions. Coral Reefs 23:74–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosscher H, Meesters EH (1993) Depth related changes in the growth rate of Montastrea annularis. Proc 7th Int Coral Reef Symp 1:507–512

    Google Scholar 

  • Brodie JE, Devlin M, Haynes D, Waterhouse J (2010) Assessment of the eutrophication status of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon (Australia). Biogeochemistry 106:281–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown BE, Le Tissier MDA, Scoffin TP, Tudhope AW (1990) Evaluation of the environmental impact of dredging on intertidial coral reefs at Ko Phuket, Thailand, using ecological and physiological parameters. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 65:273–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bucher DJ, Harriott VJ, Roberts LG (1998) Skeletal micro-density, porosity and bulk density of acroporid corals. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 228:117–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buddemeier RW, Kleypas JA, Aronson RB (2004) Coral reefs and global climate change: potential contributions of climate change to stresses on coral reef ecosystems. Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Arlington, VA, p 42

    Google Scholar 

  • Carilli JE, Norris RD, Black BA, Walsh SM, McField M (2009) Local stressors reduce coral resilience to bleaching. PLoS ONE 4:e6324

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carricart-Ganivet JP, Merino M (2001) Growth responses of the reef-building coral Montastraea annularis along a gradient of continental influence in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Bull Mar Sci 68:133–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Carricart-Ganivet JP, Lough JM, Barnes DJ (2007) Growth and luminescence characteristics in skeletons of massive Porites from a depth gradient in the central Great Barrier Reef. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 351:27–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carricart-Ganivet JP, Cabanillas-Teran N, Cruz-Ortega I, Blanchon P (2012) Sensitivity of calcification to thermal stress varies among genera of massive reef-building corals. PLoS ONE 7:e32859

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen AL, Holcomb M (2009) Why corals care about ocean acidification: uncovering the mechanism. Oceanography 22:118–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper TF, De’Ath G, Fabricius KE, Lough JM (2008) Declining coral calcification in massive Porites in two nearshore regions of the northern Great Barrier Reef. Global Change Biol 14:529–538

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De’ath G, Fabricius KE, Sweatman H, Puotinen M (2012) The 27-year decline of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef and its causes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 109:17995–17999

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De’ath G, Lough JM, Fabricius KE (2009) Declining coral calcification on the Great Barrier Reef. Science 323:116–119

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fabricius KE, De’ath G, Puotinen ML, Done T, Cooper TF, Burges SC (2008) Disturbance gradients on inshore and offshore coral reefs caused by a severe tropical cyclone. Limnol Oceanogr 53:690–704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fallon SJ, McCulloch MT, Alibert C (2003) Examining water temperature proxies in Porites corals from the Great Barrier Reef: a cross-shelf comparison. Coral Reefs 22:389–404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furnas M (2003) Catchments and corals: terrestrial runoff to the Great Barrier Reef. Australian Institute of Marine Science and Reef CRC, Townsville, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner TA, Cote IM, Gill JA, Grant A, Watkinson AR (2003) Long-term region-wide declines in Caribbean corals. Science 301:958–960

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gilmour JP, Smith LD, Heyward AJ, Baird AH, Pratchett MS (2013) Recovery of an isolated coral reef system following severe disturbance. Science 340:69–71

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoegh-Guldberg O, Mumby PJ, Hooten AJ, Steneck RS, Greenfield P, Gomez E, Harvell CD, Sale PF, Edwards AJ, Caldeira K, Knowlton N, Eakin CM, Iglesias-Prieto R, Muthiga N, Bradbury RH, Dubi A, Hatziolos ME (2007) Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification. Science 318:1737–1742

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holcomb M, McCorkle DC, Cohen AL (2010) Long-term effects of nutrient and CO2 enrichment on the temperate coral Astrangia poculata (Ellis and Solander, 1786). J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 386:27–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes TP, Baird AH, Bellwood DR, Card M, Connolly SR, Folke C, Grosberg R, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Jackson JBC, Kleypas J, Lough JM, Marshall P, Nyström M, Palumbi SR, Pandolfi JM, Rosen B, Roughgarden J (2003) Climates change, human impacts, and the resilience of coral reefs. Science 301:929–933

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes TP, Bellwood DR, Baird AH, Brodie J, Bruno JF, Pandolfi JM (2011) Shifting base-lines, declining coral cover, and the erosion of reef resilience: comment on Sweatman et al. (2011). Coral Reefs 30:653–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isdale PJ (1984) Fluorescent bands in massive corals record centuries of coastal rainfall. Nature 310:578–579

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jokiel PL, Coles SL (1977) Effects of temperature on the mortality and growth of Hawaiian reef corals. Mar Biol 43:201–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King B, McAllister F, Wolanski E, Done T, Spagnol S (2001) River plume dynamics in the central Great Barrier Reef. In: Wolanski E (ed) Oceanographic processes of coral reefs: Physical and biological links in the Great Barrier Reef. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 145–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Koop K, Booth D, Broadbent A, Brodie J, Bucher D, Capone D, Coll J, Dennison W, Erdmann M, Harrison P, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Hutchings P, Jones GB, Larkum AW, O’Neil J, Steven A, Tentori E, Ward S, Williamson J, Yellowlees D (2001) ENCORE: the effect of nutrient enrichment on coral reefs. Synthesis of results and conclusions. Mar Pollut Bull 42:91–120

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis SE, Shields GA, Kamber BS, Lough JM (2007) A multi-trace element coral record of land-use changes in the Burdekin River catchment, NE Australia. Palaeogeogr Palaeoecol 246:471–487

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lough JM (2007) Tropical river flow and rainfall reconstructions from coral luminescence: Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Paleoceanography 22. doi: 10.1029/2006PA0013

  • Lough JM (2008) Coral calcification from skeletal records revisited. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 373:257–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lough JM, Barnes DJ (1992) Comparisons of skeletal density variations in Porites from the central Great Barrier Reef. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 155:1–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lough JM, Barnes DJ (1997) Several centuries of variation in skeletal extension, density and calcification in massive Porites colonies from the Great Barrier Reef: A proxy for seawater temperature and a background of variability against which to identify unnatural change. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 211:29–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lough JM, Barnes DJ (2000) Environmental controls on growth of the massive coral Porites. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 245:225–243

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lough JM, Barnes DJ, Devereux MJ, Tobin BJ, Tobin S (1999) Variability in growth characteristics of massive Porites on the Great Barrier reef. Technical Report No. 28. CRC Reef Research Center, Townsville

  • Lough JM, Barnes DJ, McAllister FA (2002) Luminescent lines in corals from the Great Barrier Reef provide spatial and temporal records of reefs affected by land runoff. Coral Reefs 21:333–343

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall JF, McCulloch MT (2002) An assessment of the Sr/Ca ratio in shallow water hermatypic corals as a proxy for sea surface temperature. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 66:3263–3280

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marubini F, Atkinson MJ (1999) Effects of lowered pH and elevated nitrate on coral calcification. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 188:117–121

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCulloch MT, Fallon S, Wyndham T, Hendy E, Lough JM, Barnes DJ (2003) Coral record of increased sediment flux to the inner Great Barrier Reef since European settlement. Nature 421:727–730

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McCulloch M, Falter J, Trotter J, Montagna P (2012) Coral resilience to ocean acidification and global warming through pH up-regulation. Nature Clim Change. doi:10.1038/nclimate1473

    Google Scholar 

  • Scoffin TP, Tudhope AW, Brown BE, Chansang H, Cheeney RF (1992) Patterns and possible environmental controls of skeletogenesis of Porites lutea, South Thailand. Coral Reefs 11:1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki A, Gagan MK, Fabricius K, Isdale PJ, Yukino I, Kawahata H (2003) Skeletal isotope microprofiles of growth perturbations in Porites corals during the 1997–1998 mass bleaching event. Coral Reefs 22:357–369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweatman H, Delean S, Syms C (2011) Assessing loss of coral cover on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef over two decades, with implications for longer-term trends. Coral Reefs 30:521–531

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomascik T, Sander F (1985) Effects of eutrophication on reef-building corals 1. Growth rate of the reef-Building coral Montastrea annularis. Mar Biol 87:143–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei G, McCulloch MT, Mortimer G, Deng W, Xie L (2009) Evidence for ocean acidification in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 73:2332–2346

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge SA (2009) Water quality and coral bleaching thresholds: formalising the linkage for the inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Mar Pollut Bull 58:745–751

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for financial support from by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies to M.Mc. and J.P.D. M.Mc. is also supported by a Western Australian Premiers’ Fellowship. J.P.D. was also supported by a PhD scholarship from the Research School of Earth Science, Australian National University. The research was completed while J.P.D. was holding a Research Associate position funded by NERP Tropical Ecosystems Hub Project 1.3 awarded to M.Mc. We much appreciate the assistance of Michael Kingsford and Julie Trotter in collecting coral samples and ongoing support. We thank Stephen Eggins for helpful assistance with the manuscript and gratefully acknowledge the extremely thorough and critical multiple reviews received for this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Environment, The ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    J. P. D’Olivo & M. T. McCulloch

  2. Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia

    J. P. D’Olivo

  3. School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    K. Judd

Authors
  1. J. P. D’Olivo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. T. McCulloch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K. Judd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. P. D’Olivo.

Additional information

Communicated by Geology Editor Prof. Bernhard Riegl

Electronic supplementary material

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

D’Olivo, J.P., McCulloch, M.T. & Judd, K. Long-term records of coral calcification across the central Great Barrier Reef: assessing the impacts of river runoff and climate change. Coral Reefs 32, 999–1012 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-013-1071-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-013-1071-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation