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Coral colonisation of a shallow reef flat in response to rising sea level: quantification from 35 years of remote sensing data at Heron Island, Australia

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Abstract

Observations made on Heron Island reef flat during the 1970s–1990s highlighted the importance of rapid change in hydrodynamics and accommodation space for coral development. Between the 1940s and the 1990s, the minimum reef-flat top water level varied by some tens of centimetres, successively down then up, in rapid response to local engineering works. Coral growth followed sea-level variations and was quantified here for several coral communities using horizontal two-dimensional above water remotely sensed observations. This required seven high spatial resolution aerial photographs and Quickbird satellite images spanning 35 years: 1972, 1979, 1990, 1992, 2002, 2006 and 2007. The coral growth dynamics followed four regimes corresponding to artificially induced changes in sea levels: 1972–1979 (lowest growth rate): no detectable coral development, due to high tidal currents and minimum mean low-tide water level; 1979–1991 (higher growth rate): horizontal coral development promoted by calmer hydrodynamic conditions; 1991–2001(lower growth rate): vertical coral development, induced by increased local sea level by ~12 cm due to construction of new bund walls; 2001–2007 (highest growth rate): horizontal coral development after that vertical growth had become limited by sea level. This unique time-series displays a succession of ecological stage comprising a ‘catch-up’ dynamic in response to a rapid local sea-level rise in spite of the occurrences of the most severe bleaching events on record (1998, 2002) and the decreasing calcification rates reported in massive corals in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by ZONECO programme in New-Caledonia and the France-Australia Science and Technology programme (FAST). A NASA Interdisciplinary grant to SA provided additional support. JS was sponsored by a University of Queensland International Research Award and by French Embassy travel grants. Thanks to Dr. John Jell from the University of Queensland for giving access to his archive of aerial views and photographs of Heron island. We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for providing constructive comments.

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Author notes

  1. P. Chabanet

    Present address: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP 172, 97492, Ste Clotilde cedex, La Réunion, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biophysical Remote Sensing Group, Centre for Spatial Environmental Research, School of Geography, Planning and Environment Management, University of Queensland, St-Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    J. Scopélitis & S. Phinn

  2. UMR 227 Coréus, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP A5, 98 848, Nouméa Cedex, New-Caledonia, France

    J. Scopélitis, S. Andréfouët & P. Chabanet

  3. Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia

    T. Done

  4. Laboratoire Écologie Marine, Université de la Réunion, BP 7151, 97 715, St-Denis Messag Cedex 9, la Réunion, France

    J. Scopélitis & P. Chabanet

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  1. J. Scopélitis
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Correspondence to J. Scopélitis.

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Scopélitis, J., Andréfouët, S., Phinn, S. et al. Coral colonisation of a shallow reef flat in response to rising sea level: quantification from 35 years of remote sensing data at Heron Island, Australia. Coral Reefs 30, 951–965 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-011-0774-y

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