Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

SedPods: a low-cost coral proxy for measuring net sedimentation

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

Abstract

Sediment derived from impaired watersheds is a major stressor to adjacent coral reefs globally. To better understand stresses generated by specific processes and events, many coral reef scientists seek to collect physical samples of settling particles and obtain reproducible information about net rates of sediment accumulation on coral reefs. Yet, the tools most commonly used to gather this information, sediment tube traps, only provide information on the gross accumulation of sediment at a site, in that all particles are effectively trapped within the container, unlike what a coral surface experiences. To address the need for an improved measurement of net particle accumulation on coral surfaces, we propose using recoverable sediment pods (SedPods) that can be constructed from readily available materials for under US $20. These devices are inexpensive, easy to fabricate, and allow for capture of particles over a given time span. The particles can then be used for laboratory analysis and accurate calculation of net accumulation rates on a coral surface proxy. In an experiment in Hanalei Bay, HI, we found that net sediment accumulation on rectangular SedPods was an order of magnitude less than gross accumulation in nearby conventional tube traps.

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

References

  • Bothner MH, Reynolds RL, Casso MA, Storlazzi CD, Field ME (2006) Quantity composition and source of sediment collected in sediment traps along the fringing coral reef off Molokai, Hawaii. Mar Pollut Bull 52:1034–1047

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fabricius KE (2005) Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis. Mar Pollut Bull 50:125–146

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Field ME, Chezar H, Storlazzi C (2007) Photographic time series of sedimentation near the wall, Hanalei Bay, Kaua`i, summers of 2005 and 2006. In: Field ME, Berg CJ, Cochran SA (eds) Science and management in the Hanalei watershed; a trans-disciplinary approach: US Geol Surv Open File Report 2007-1219, p 87

  • Field ME, Bothner MH, Chavez PS, Cochran SA, Jokiel PL, Ogston AS, Presto MK, Storlazzi CD (2008) The effects of a Kona storm on the Moloka`i reef; November and December 2001, In: Field ME, Cochran SA, Logan JB, Storlazzi CD (eds) The coral reef of south Moloka`i, Hawai`i: Portrait of a sediment-threatened fringing reef. US Geol Surv Sci Invest Rep 2007-5101, p 159–164

  • Ogston AS, Storlazzi CD, Field ME, Presto MK (2004) Sediment resuspension and transport patterns on a fringing reef flat, Molokai, Hawaii. Coral Reefs 23:559–569

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandolfi JM, Bradbury RH, Sala E, Hughes TP, Bjorndal KA, Cooke RG, McArdle D, McClenachan L, Newman MJH, Paredes G, Warner RR, Jackson JBC (2003) Global trajectories of the long-term decline of coral reef ecosystems. Science 301:955–958

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Richmond RH, Rongo T, Golbuu Y, Victor S, Idechong N, Davis G, Kostka W, Neth L, Hamnett M, Wolanski E (2007) Watersheds and coral reefs: conservation science, policy, and implementation. Bioscience 57:598–607

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Risk MJ, Edinger E (2011) Impacts of sediment on coral reefs. In: Hopley D (ed), Encyclopedia of modern coral reefs. Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

  • Storlazzi CD, Field ME, Bothner MH, Presto MK, Draut AE (2009) Controls on sediment dynamics in a coral reef embayment: Hanalei Bay, Kauai. Mar Geol 264:140–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Storlazzi CD, Field ME, Bothner MH (2011) The use (and misuse) of sediment traps in coral reef environments: theory, observations, and suggested protocols. Coral Reefs 30:23–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This is a contribution of the US Geological Survey’s Pacific Coral Reef Project and was supported by the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program. We thank M. Bothner for insightful discussions, G. Piniak for thoughtful review comments, and J. B. Logan and S. A. Cochran for their assistance with field deployments and figure preparation, respectively.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. US Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 400 Natural Bridges Drive, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA

    M. E. Field, H. Chezar & C. D. Storlazzi

Authors
  1. M. E. Field
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. Chezar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. C. D. Storlazzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. E. Field.

Additional information

Communicated by Geology Editor Prof. Bernhard Riegl

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Field, M.E., Chezar, H. & Storlazzi, C.D. SedPods: a low-cost coral proxy for measuring net sedimentation. Coral Reefs 32, 155–159 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-012-0953-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-012-0953-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation