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The impacts of flooding on the high-latitude, terrigenoclastic influenced coral reefs of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia

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Abstract

This study examines the impacts of an acute flooding event on the marginal, high-latitude, terrigenoclastic influenced coral reefs of Hervey Bay in southeast Queensland, Australia. In January 2011, the Mary River near Hervey Bay experienced its eleventh highest flood on record. The Mary River catchment has been highly modified since European colonisation, and, as a result of heavy rain and flooding, Hervey Bay was exposed to reduced salinity and elevated levels of turbidity and nutrients for approximately 14 weeks. Through the use of photograph transects and point intercept analysis, per cent cover of coral reef benthic communities was measured prior to and just after the flooding event. Sites were located between 250 m and 5 km from the mainland and from 18 to 85 km away from the mouth of the Mary River. Overall, there was a ~40 % reduction in coral cover post-flood, including significant mortality up to 89 % at four of six reefs. Mortality did not vary with distance along the coast from the Mary River, but mortality was found to be highest closer to the mainland, where turbidity and nutrients levels were also the highest. Despite the decades of input of highly turbid and nutrient laden waters from the Mary River, recovery has occurred in the past, and, given the persistence of similar conditions, would be expected to take place again. Climate change predicts increased frequency of severe storms and flooding, and this, combined with elevated sedimentation and nutrients from the highly modified catchment, may reduce these recovery periods, resulting in the deterioration of Hervey Bay reef communities.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge support and funding from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland and the National Environmental Research Program Tropical Ecosystems Hub Project 1.3. Thank you to Queensland Government Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, Brisbane, for provision and support with water quality data. We gratefully acknowledge generous field support from the staff of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife, Great Sandy Region, Hervey Bay, Queensland. Sincere thanks to members of the Marine Palaeoecology Laboratory and fellow researchers at The University of Queensland for assistance with statistical analyses and manuscript preparation. Thank you also to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable feedback.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    I. R. Butler, B. Sommer & J. M. Pandolfi

  2. Biophysical Remote Sensing Group, Centre for Spatial Environmental Research (CSER), School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    M. Zann

  3. Radiogenic Isotope Laboratory, School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    J.-x. Zhao

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  1. I. R. Butler
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  5. J. M. Pandolfi
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Correspondence to I. R. Butler.

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Communicated by Geology Editor Prof. Bernhard Riegl

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Butler, I.R., Sommer, B., Zann, M. et al. The impacts of flooding on the high-latitude, terrigenoclastic influenced coral reefs of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. Coral Reefs 32, 1149–1163 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-013-1064-7

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