Drivers and predictions of coral reef carbonate budget trajectories

This study tracks the biological carbonate budgets of inner Seychelles reefs from 1994 to 2014,

Abstract

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to the long-term maintenance of coral-dominated tropical ecosystems, and has received considerable attention over the past two decades. Coral bleaching and associated mortality events, which are predicted to become more frequent and intense, can alter the balance of different elements that are responsible for coral reef growth and maintenance. The geomorphic impacts of coral mass mortality have received relatively little attention, particularly questions concerning temporal recovery of reef carbonate production and the factors that promote resilience of reef growth potential. Here, we track the biological carbonate budgets of inner Seychelles reefs from 1994 to 2014, spanning the 1998 global bleaching event when these reefs lost more than 90% of coral cover.

This research was supported by the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme

Citation

Januchowski-Hartley, F.A.; Graham, N.A.J.; Wilson, S.K.; Jennings, S.; Perry, C.T. (2017) Drivers and predictions of coral reef carbonate budget trajectories Proceedings Of The Royal Society B-biological Sciences Volume 84 Issue 7

Drivers and predictions of coral reef carbonate budget trajectories

Updates to this page

Published 25 January 2017