Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Residence times of neutrally-buoyant matter such as larvae, sewage or nutrients on coral reefs

  • Published:
Coral Reefs Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Coral reef flushing times at an individual reef scale are specified and a general formula to determine these times is developed. The formula is confirmed by comparison with residence times predicted by numerical small-scale reef models, including those from a 4 month unsteady current simulation of John Brewer Reef on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The method proves to be a satisfactory alternative to the numerical modelling. When neutrally-buoyant material around a reef is removed by the currents, the concentrations decay exponentially. The decay rate depends primarily on free stream current and reef dimensions. Secondary factors are the tidal excursion, shelf depth, lagoon size and residual current in the lee of the reef. These factors, when combined into a decay coefficient, specify the rate of loss of neutrally-buoyant material (e.g. some larvae, pollutants and sewage) from a coral reef and its surrounds. The analytical formula can be used to predict the flushing rates or the percentage of material still remaining on a reef after a selected time interval. We demonstrate that material can remain on or near typical reefs in common weather conditions for several weeks.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Black KP (1988) The relationship of reef hydrodynamics to variations in numbers of planktonic larvae on and around coral reefs. Proc 6th Int Coral Reef Symp 2:125–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Black KP, Gay SL (1987a) Hydrodynamic control of the dispersal of Crown-of-Thorns starfish larvae. 1. Small-scale hydrodynamics on and around schematised and actual coral reefs. Vict Inst Mar Sci Tech Rep No 8, Melbourne, Australia

  • Black KP, Gay SL (1987b) Eddy formation in unsteady flows. J Geophys Res 92(C9):9514–9522

    Google Scholar 

  • Black KP, Gay SL (1990) A numerical scheme for determining trajectories in particle models. In: Bradbury RH (ed) The Acanthaster phenomenon: a modelling approach. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics (in press)

  • Church JA, Andrews JC, Boland FM (1985) Tidal currents in the central Great Barrier Reef. Cont Shelf Res 4:515–531

    Google Scholar 

  • Dight IJ, James MK, Bode L (1990) Modelling the larval dispersal of Acanthaster planci. II. Patterns of reef connectivity. Coral Reefs 9:125–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer KR (1973) Estuaries: A physical introduction. Wiley-Interscience, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Gay SL, Andrews JC, Black KP (1990) Dispersal of neutrally-buoyant material near John Brewer Reef. In: Bradbury RH (ed) The Acanthaster phenomenon: a modelling approach. Lecture Notes in Biomathematics (in press)

  • Healy TR, Black KP, de Lange WP (1987) Field investigations required for numerical model studies of port developments in large tidal inlet harbours. Int Geomorph 1:1099–1112

    Google Scholar 

  • Heathershaw AD, Simpson JH (1978) The sampling variability of the Reynolds stress and its relation to boundary shear stress and drag coefficient measurements. Estuarine Coast Mar Sci 6:263–274

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee TT, Black KP (1978) The energy spectra of surf waves on a coral reef. 16th Int Conf Coast Eng, Hamburg 1:588–608

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson RR (1987) In situ culturing as a test of the larval starvation hypothesis for the Crown-of-Thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci. Limnol Oceanogr 32:895–904

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickard GL (1986) Effects of wind and tide on upper-layer currents at Davies Reef, Great Barrier Reef, during MECOR (July–August, 1984). Aust J Mar Freshwater Res 37:545–565

    Google Scholar 

  • Reichelt RE, Loya Y, Bradbury RH (1986) Patterns in the use of space by henthic communities on two coral reefs of the GBR. Coral Reefs 5:73–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams DMcB, Wolanski E, Andrews JC (1984) Transport mechanisms and the potential movement of planktonic larvae in the central region of the Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs 3:229–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski E, Imberger J, Heron ML (1984) Island wakes in shallow coastal waters. J Geophys Res 89(C6):10553–69

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Victorian Institute of Marine Sciences, 14 Parliament Place, 3002, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Kerry P. Black & Stephen L. Gay

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

    John C. Andrews

Authors
  1. Kerry P. Black
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephen L. Gay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. John C. Andrews
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Black, K.P., Gay, S.L. & Andrews, J.C. Residence times of neutrally-buoyant matter such as larvae, sewage or nutrients on coral reefs. Coral Reefs 9, 105–114 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00258221

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00258221

Keywords

Search

Navigation