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Habitat‐specific biogenic production and erosion influences net framework and sediment coral reef carbonate budgets
Author(s) -
Brown Kristen T.,
BenderChamp Dorothea,
Achlatis Michelle,
Zande Rene M.,
Kubicek Andreas,
Martin Storm B.,
CastroSanguino Carolina,
Dove Sophie G.,
HoeghGuldberg Ove
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.1002/lno.11609
Subject(s) - reef , bioerosion , carbonate , coral reef , sediment , geology , oceanography , carbonate platform , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , geomorphology , materials science , geotechnical engineering , facies , structural basin , metallurgy
Carbonate budgets are increasingly being used as a key metric to establish reef condition. To better understand spatial variations in framework and sediment net carbonate budgets, we quantified biogenic carbonate production, erosion, and dissolution within and between five distinct geomorphological habitats of Heron Reef on the southern Great Barrier Reef. The protected reef slope had the greatest estimated net framework carbonate budget (22.6 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 ± 2.4 SE), driven by abundant, fast‐growing acroporid corals coupled with low levels of macro‐ and micro‐bioerosion. The estimate of the exposed reef slope was significantly lower due to localized damage from a single tropical cyclone that occurred 7 years prior to this study (9.7 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 ± 2.8 SE). Within the extensive lagoon, net framework carbonate budgets ranged from 0.24 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 (± 0.1 SE) to 3.0 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 (± 0.7 SE). The greatest net sediment carbonate budget was estimated within the reef crest (6.0 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 ± 1.1 SE) and the lowest in the shallow lagoon (1.2 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 ± 0.2 SE). Chemical dissolution of the sediments exhibited spatial variability, with reef crest and reef flat sediments in a state of net production. Considering the area of each habitat, the net reef framework and sediment budgets across Heron Reef were 4.06 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 and 2.82 kgCaCO 3 m −2 yr −1 , respectively. The results of this study improve our understanding of spatial variability in carbonate production and bioerosion and provide a comprehensive reef‐scale carbonate budget for a relatively undisturbed coral reef ecosystem.