海南临高海岸带典型生态环境问题与对策研究

为改善临高县海岸带生态环境、提升海岸带生态价值及保障海岸带生态安全,文章在实地考察、文献查阅和资料梳理的基础上,概述了当前临高县海岸带面临的典型生态环境问题,分析生态环境退化的主要原因,提出了海岸带保护修复的对策建议。研究结果表明：临高海岸带地区砂质海岸、红树林、珊瑚礁和白蝶贝等面临较严重的海岸侵蚀、生态环境退化和生物资源枯竭等问题;砂质海岸侵蚀主要受海平面上升、风暴潮等自然因素影响,红树林生态系统主要受围海养殖、环境污染影响,珊瑚礁、白蝶贝等海洋生态系统则主要受渔业捕捞、水体污染等人为活动影响;基于海岸生态退化现状及原因分析,提出文澜河口、抱吴港等岸段开展沙滩喂养及生态堤建设,新盈湾、黄龙湾、金牌湾等重点区实施红树林修复,珊瑚礁、白蝶贝保育区加强自然封育、严防人工干扰等建议措施。     

[已撤稿] 三亚珊瑚礁珊瑚藻种类及其空间特征与环境因子的关系

珊瑚藻是珊瑚礁生态系统中重要的功能性群体。2010年通过水肺潜水分析了三亚珊瑚礁区的珊瑚藻种类组成和丰度, 以及群落空间特征与环境因子的关系。共鉴定出3科10属25种珊瑚藻, 其中珊瑚藻科占优势地位。三亚珊瑚礁区的珊瑚藻优势种分别为叉节藻Amphiroa ephedraea、拟中叶藻Mesophyllum simulans、串胞新角石藻Neogoniolithon fosliei、中叶藻M. mesomorphum、圆锥呼叶藻Pneophyllum conicum、孔石藻Porolithon onkodes和布氏水石藻Hydrolithon boergesenii。基于多元统计的分析结果, 将调查采样站位分为近岸型和离岸型2个主要集群, 其中近岸型的珊瑚藻种类以浊度、沉积速率(0~63μm)和悬浮物耐受种类为主, 离岸型则以光依赖-沉积物敏感种类为主。以珊瑚藻种类组成和丰度为基础的群落相似性分析结果表明, 其空间变异处于显著性水平。生物与非生物变量的相关分析结果表明, 最佳两变量组合(浊度和盐度)显著影响三亚珊瑚礁区2种类型调查站位中的珊瑚藻集合。在同一个研究站位, 因受干扰程度不同, 深水处的珊瑚藻的覆盖率比浅水处高。分析结果表明, 在三亚独特的珊瑚礁区中, 自然或人为的物理干扰因素都对调节珊瑚藻群落结构非常重要。     

海南西岛珊瑚群落变化及其影响因素 *

在2018年的海南三亚西岛珊瑚群落分布和水质环境因子调查中, 共记录到造礁石珊瑚68种, 多孔螅2种。基于珊瑚礁底质类型的非度量多维标度分析, 可将西岛站位划分为区域1(东-南侧)和区域2(西侧)。全岛活珊瑚覆盖率为13.6%, 区域1和区域2分别为4.2%和27.7%, 区域2珊瑚多样性高于区域1。区域1珊瑚礁处在显著退化状态, 而区域2相对健康, 但是优势种类单一。与历史资料对比分析, 东侧站位造礁石珊瑚覆盖率从2011年的近40%降至2018年不足4%, 退化显著, 而西侧站位珊瑚礁无明显退化; 丛生盔形珊瑚(Galaxea fascicularis)逐渐取代分枝状的鹿角珊瑚成为绝对优势种类; 珊瑚礁区浊度、溶解无机氮(dissolved inorganic nitrogen, DIN)和喇叭藻的δ¹⁵N均值分别为2.54NTU、9.63μmol·L^-1和5.09‰, 均处在较高水平。相关性分析表明, 环境因子的空间变化并不能解释珊瑚群落的空间分布。因此, 推测人类活动引起的极端扰动事件可能是导致西岛珊瑚群落空间分布和东侧站位珊瑚近几年显著退化的主要原因, 如三亚河清淤在三亚湾随意倾倒引起的浑浊事件。应加强对三亚湾清淤和西岛人类活动的管控, 减轻颗粒物沉积和营养盐富集的影响, 促进西岛珊瑚礁逐渐恢复。     

珊瑚礁监测技术发展现状及原位在线监测建设

随着沿海地区社会和经济活动不断增加,在人类活动和全球气候变化的双重压力下,全球珊瑚礁生态健康状况日益衰退。如何有效地监测珊瑚礁生态系统,使管理部门能够及时采取保护措施防止珊瑚礁生态系统的退化,已成为拥有珊瑚礁资源的国家亟需解决的环境问题。各主要国家均在大力发展珊瑚礁监测技术与装备。文中综述了国内外在珊瑚礁生态系统监测技术方面的研究现状,基于前人提出的原位在线监测技术,在南海某岛礁海域建设了珊瑚礁生态环境原位在线监测系统,并进行了1年多的业务化运行。在业务化运行期间,原位在线监测系统成功监测到了珊瑚礁的"白化-死亡-微藻附着-珊瑚骨骼腐烂-大型藻占领"这一退化过程,表明该监测系统能够实现珊瑚礁的长期、实时、连续监测。本文研究对于进一步认识珊瑚礁生态系统的时间变化特征及其影响机制均具有重要意义。     

The effects of trophic interactions and spatial competition on algal community composition on Hawaiian coral reefs

Much of coral reef ecology has focused on how human impacts change coral reefs to macroalgal reefs. However, macroalgae may not always be a good indicator of reef decline, especially on reefs with significant sea urchin populations, as found in Kenya and Hawaii. This study tests the effects of trophic interactions (i.e. herbivory by fishes and sea urchins) and spatial competition (between algae and coral) on algal community structure of reefs surrounding two Hawaiian Islands that vary in their level of human impacts. Reef‐building organisms (corals and crustose coralline algae) were less abundant and turf algae were more abundant on Maui as compared to Lanai, where human impacts are lower. In contrast to previous studies, we found no evidence that macroalgae increased with human impacts. Instead, low turf and macroalgal abundance were best explained by the interactive effects of coral cover and sea urchin abundance. Fishing sea urchin predators appeared to have cascading effects on the benthic community. The absence of sea urchin predators and high sea urchin densities correspond to a disproportionately high abundance of turf and crustose coralline algae. We propose that high turf algal abundance is a better indicator of reef decline in Hawaii than high macroalgal abundance because turf abundance was highest on reefs with low coral cover and few fish. The results of this study emphasize that understanding changes in community composition are context‐dependent and that not all degraded reefs look the same.     

典型近岸退化珊瑚礁的成功修复案例——蜈支洲珊瑚覆盖率的恢复

在全球珊瑚礁生态系统面临退化威胁的情况下,珊瑚礁生态修复工作成为人类帮助珊瑚礁恢复健康的重要手段之一,并且在全球各个珊瑚礁区域都得到广泛应用。我国近岸珊瑚礁生态系统退化严重,本实验探讨利用珊瑚移植技术在三亚市蜈支洲岛典型的近岸珊瑚礁环境下恢复造礁石珊瑚的覆盖率,希望推动企业参与海洋生态保护并从中受益。在与当地旅游公司的合作下,2017年6月移植6000株包括风信子鹿角珊瑚(Acropora hyacinthus)、美丽鹿角珊瑚(A.muricata)等8种造礁石珊瑚。经过3 a的生长,移植珊瑚的平均存活率为61.3%,修复区域造礁石珊瑚平均覆盖率从9.3%提升到35.3%,珊瑚覆盖率的提升主要归结于移植珊瑚个体的生长。从恢复效果来看,本次实验有效地恢复了珊瑚礁的珊瑚覆盖率,修复区域内珊瑚礁不仅健康状况有所恢复,同时水下景观得到改善,带动了相关企业参与海洋生态保护的积极性。本次研究结果证明了在我国近岸退化珊瑚礁中利用生态修复技术恢复珊瑚礁生态是可行和有效的。     

Influence of anthropogenic pressure and seasonal upwelling on coral reefs in Nha Trang Bay (Central Vietnam)

The growing coastal development, dredging and dumping activities, overfishing and expansion of marine cage culture in Nha Trang Bay (NTB) of Central Vietnam since the beginning of the 2000s have resulted in a dramatic decrease of live coral cover. Surveys conducted in April–May 2013 and the same period in 2014 revealed that with an increase in distance from the outer part of the bay towards the mainland, the rivers’ influxes and dredged areas, coral cover decreased from 75% to 0.6% and species richness from 63 to 5, while the abundance of macroalgae increased from 0% to 56%. These changes correlate with differences in the concentration of suspended sediments on the same gradient. The abundance of the crown‐of‐thorns starfish Acanthaster planci and of the echinoid Diadema setosum significantly increased between the first estimation in 1998 and the survey in 2014, from 0 to 1.7 individuals (ind.) per 100 m^?2 and from 50.8 to 94.5 ind. per 100 m^?2, respectively, contributing to coral loss and intensive bioerosion of the reef framework in the bay. The large sizes of adult colonies of tabulate Acropora on the remote stations with negligible sedimentation and eutrophication loads were inconsistent with the assumptions that temperature‐induced coral bleaching or cyclones could be the major impacts in Nha Trang Bay. Analysis of the 16‐year thermal history of the bay did not reveal any instances in which the coral thermal bleaching threshold had been exceeded up to the present study. Seasonal upwelling, which occurs annually in the vicinity of Central Vietnam, may contribute to mitigation of thermal anomalies within NTB and to the maintenance of healthy coral communities on the remote reefs with relatively low anthropogenic impact.     

渤海湾连片开发对湾内水沙通量的影响研究

渤海湾内海岸的连续开发导致岸线 、海床发生较大变化, 同时影响着湾内的水沙通量。根据不同时期的遥感影像、 实测地形和水文泥沙资料, 统计分析了渤海湾岸线 、面积和海床冲淤变化, 构建了渤海潮流泥沙数学模型, 模拟了 1984 年、 2006 年和 2015 年三个时期的水沙分布, 探究了海岸连续开发对水沙分布和通量引起的累积效应。结果表明： 渤海湾岸线和 海湾面积变化主要发生于 2005 年后, 与 1984 年相比, 2020 年的岸线长度增长超过 185%,海湾面积减少近 19%;曹妃甸港 区南侧海域冲刷基本在 2 m 等深线以内, 而近岸和港池水域基本呈现淤积状态, 淤积幅度在 2 m 以内; 海湾的连续开发利用 使得湾内分潮波振幅增大 、传播速度减缓, 近岸海域的余流变化较为明显,南部较北部海域更甚;西北湾顶 0.2 kg/m3 悬沙 分布区域不断缩小, 西南近岸 0. 15 kg/m3 悬沙分布区域向中部海域推进; 悬沙通量变化与潮流通量并不完全一致, 呈外海增 加、近岸整体降低的变化特征, 湾内向外海输移泥沙的能力减弱。     

Hydrodynamic control of the supply of reworked terrigenous sediment to coral reefs in the Bay of Banten (NW Java, Indonesia)

The Bay of Banten is an example of a shallow-water reef environment adjacent to an eroding delta system, where corals survive in turbid conditions. This study investigated the hydrodynamic controls over residual fluxes of terrigenous sediment in the bay. Observations of wind, waves, currents and suspended sediment concentrations in 1998 and 1999 revealed contrasting dynamic turbidity conditions influenced by tides, monsoon-driven flows and locally generated waves. The most sediment-rich suspensions originate from the shallow coastal margin of an inactive delta, where waves resuspend sediment and small creeks discharge freshwater and sediment. Because of coupling between monsoonal wind, throughflow in the bay and wave height, when wave-induced resuspension peaks seasonally during the northwest monsoon, an eastward throughflow prevents the nearshore reefs in the bay from being directly exposed to turbid water masses generated in the eroding delta. In inshore waters, tidal asymmetry and the spatial variation of current amplitudes cause residual sediment transport, largely depending on the availability of erodible sediment. In the center of the bay, where there is a patch reef complex, the tidal and subtidal currents are weak and therefore here there is a zone where sediment accumulates.     

全球变化背景下暖水珊瑚礁生态系统的适应性与修复研究

暖水珊瑚礁生态系统是热带海域最具生物多样性和代表性的生态系统之一。本研究分析了全球变化背景下暖水珊瑚礁生态系统的变化和风险,开展了受损暖水珊瑚礁生态系统退化和消失的致灾因子归因分析,综述了暖水珊瑚礁生态系统的适应性与修复技术研究。分析表明:①过去几十年来,暖水珊瑚礁生态系统快速退化,包括大面积白化和死亡、多样性明显减少和生态功能显著衰退,主要归因于海洋升温与人类活动等致灾因子的影响;②在温室气体高排放浓度情景下(RCP 8.5),相比工业革命前,到本世纪中叶,南海升温将可能远超过2℃,这表明南海暖水珊瑚礁生态系统正在逼近其气候临界点,即全球升温高于2℃时,90%~99%以上的暖水珊瑚将消失;③1980年代以来,海洋升温、海洋热浪和强热带气旋等海洋气候变化致灾因子对南海暖水珊瑚的危害性(影响的强度、范围和时间)明显增加,对暖水珊瑚礁生态系统产生了严重的影响;与此同时,近岸海域的过度或破坏性捕捞、采挖和潜水等人类活动,对暖水珊瑚造成了严重损害,增加了暖水珊瑚的气候脆弱性,而这种人类活动既是局部的,也是全球性的现象,使得暖水珊瑚更难以适应全球变暖的影响。分析还表明,为了增强暖水珊瑚适应气候与环境变化的恢复力(韧性),人们开展了诸多受损珊瑚礁生态系统的适应性与修复研究,但主要是采用无性繁殖或结合人工基质的修复方式,而应用有性繁殖技术恢复受损珊瑚礁的方式仍较少;最近,暖水珊瑚耐热的基因适应性研究取得了重要进展,为暖水珊瑚适应全球变暖提供了一种新的途径。本研究最后探讨了中国受损珊瑚礁生态系统的修复问题与对策。     

Strange bedfellows—a deep-water hermatypic coral reef superimposed on a drowned barrier island; southern Pulley Ridge,SW Florida platform margin

The southeastern component of a subtle ridge feature extending over 200 km along the western ramped margin of the south Florida platform, known as Pulley Ridge, is composed largely of a non-reefal, coastal marine deposit. Modern biostromal reef growth caps southern Pulley Ridge (SPR), making it the deepest hermatypic reef known in American waters. Subsurface ridge strata are layered, lithified, and display a barrier island geomorphology. The deep-water reef community is dominated by platy scleractinian corals, leafy green algae, and coralline algae. Up to 60% live coral cover is observed in 60–75 m of water, although only 1–2% of surface light is available to the reef community. Vertical reef accumulation is thin and did not accompany initial ridge submergence during the most recent sea-level rise. The delayed onset of reef growth likely resulted from several factors influencing Gulf waters during early stages of the last deglaciation (∼14 kyr B.P.) including; cold, low-salinity waters derived from discrete meltwater pulses, high-frequency sea-level fluctuations, and the absence of modern oceanic circulation patterns. Currently, reef growth is supported by the Loop Current, the prevailing western boundary current that impinges upon the southwest Florida platform, providing warm, clear, low-nutrient waters to SPR. The rare discovery of a preserved non-reefal lowstand shoreline capped by rich hermatypic deep-reef growth on a tectonically stable continental shelf is significant for both accurate identification of late Quaternary sea-level position and in better constraining controls on the depth limits of hermatypic reefs and their capacity for adaptation to extremely low light levels.     

热带珊瑚礁区红腹海参及绿刺参食物来源分析——脂肪酸标志法

沉积食性海参通过大量摄取沉积物在热带珊瑚礁生态系统中发挥重要的生态功能,但其食物来源组成尚不清楚。本文研究了海南三亚近岸典型珊瑚礁海域红腹海参(Holothuria edulis)及绿刺参(Stichopus chloronotus)脂肪酸组成,利用脂肪酸标志法探讨了夏季和冬季两种海参的食物来源异同。结果表明,红腹海参与绿刺参的脂肪酸组成存在显著种间和季节差异。7月份时,鞭毛藻及原生动物是绿刺参的重要食物来源,而12月份绿刺参的食物来源较为广泛,涵盖鞭毛藻及原生动物、异养细菌褐藻和红藻等。红腹海参7月份的主要食物来源包括褐藻和红藻等,12月份异养细菌和绿藻在红腹海参的食物组成中比例相对较高。研究结果可为揭示红腹海参及绿刺参摄食活动的生态功能提供数据支持。     

在细胞水平上对高温珊瑚白化的初步研究

全球变暖背景下的异常高温能够导致珊瑚及其虫黄藻组成的共生体系崩溃,虫黄藻大量损失,出现珊瑚白化,并可能进一步导致珊瑚礁生态系统退化.文章通过对6种造礁石珊瑚的急性高温胁迫实验,分析不同种属的石珊瑚虫黄藻共生体系对高温的耐受性差异,为全球变暖背景下珊瑚群落演替趋势提供理论依据.结果显示:1)在急性高温胁迫下,石珊瑚耐受的差异性与其形态有关,枝状珊瑚耐受性最低,在高温胁迫下最先白化、死亡,而叶片状和块状珊瑚对高温的耐受性较强,这与野外珊瑚礁白化的现场观测结果一致.2)在高温胁迫下,不同种属珊瑚共生虫黄藻损失的方式不同:珊瑚持续排出虫黄藻,如鹿角杯形珊瑚 Pocillopora damicornis;珊瑚先排出一定的共生藻,之后珊瑚组织携带大量虫黄藻与珊瑚骨骼分离,如风信子鹿角珊瑚 Acropora hyacinthus 和松枝鹿角珊瑚 Acropora brueggemanni;先排出部分虫黄藻后,虫黄藻以有丝分裂增殖的方式迅速补充其数量,如十字牡丹珊瑚 Pavona decussata;虫黄藻细胞直接坏死而损失虫黄藻,如澄黄滨珊瑚 Porites lutea.研究强调,预测珊瑚对全球变化的响应问题时,应当同时考虑珊瑚宿主和共生藻的作用.     

Development of symbiosis-specific genes as biomarkers for the early detection of cnidarian-algal symbiosis breakdown

Coral bleaching, i.e. the loss of dinoflagellate symbionts from cnidarian hosts, is occurring globally at increasing rates, scales, and severity. The significance of these bleaching events to the health of coral reef ecosystems is extreme, as bleached corals exhibit high mortality, reduced fecundity and productivity and increased susceptibility to disease. This decreased coral fitness leads to reef degradation and ultimately to the breakdown of the coral reef ecosystem. To date there has been little work describing the application of biomarkers to assess coral health. The most commonly applied biomarker is, in fact, the bleaching event itself. We are interested in developing early warning biomarkers that can detect coral stress before bleaching occurs. Recently, several genes that are likely to function in regulating interactions between cnidarians and their symbionts have been characterized, using the temperate sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima as a model species. One "symbiosis gene" identified from the host genome, sym32, is expressed as a function of anemone symbiotic-state, where sym32 expression is higher in symbiotic cf. aposymbiotic (symbiont-free) anemones. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR suggested that the level of sym32 expression was correlated with the abundance of algae in the host. Furthermore, laboratory exposures of anemones to low levels of cadmium (0, 20, 100 microg(-1) CdCl2; 14 days), which caused no change in algal cell numbers, resulted in a down-regulation of sym32 compared to controls, indicating that sym32 expression may serve as a new sensitive early warning biomarker of cnidarian-algal symbiosis breakdown.     

Indonesian legislative framework for coastal resources management: A critical review and recommendation

This paper addresses development and problems of the legislative framework for coastal and coral reef resources management in Indonesia. It describes the background to the legal framework of Indonesian coastal and coral reef legislation and proposes an appropriate legal framework for addressing Indonesian coastal and coral reef management. This paper outlines several major challenges faced by the Indonesian legislators. It reviews some of the justifications of creating an appropriate legal framework for coastal management.It argues that an adequate and appropriate legal framework will promote sustainable development and management of coastal and coral reef resources. It argues that, the complicated and inappropriate legal framework currently place in Indonesia has contributed to serious degradation of coastal and marine resources. It also argues that this degradation has been exacerbated by the lack of a national marine policy, severe weaknesses in law enforcement of natural resource including those of the fisheries laws and regulations in Indonesia. This paper suggests that there is a general malaise or lack of commitment to sustainable management and development of natural resources. This paper also focuses on the political aspects and their impacts on legislation for coastal and coral reef management at the national and selected regional levels.     

珊瑚礁海岸侵蚀的研究方法

珊瑚礁海岸海滩和礁坪是海岸作用是活跃的部分，也是近几十年来与海岸发育，海岸侵蚀联系最密切的部分，这一部分高潮时被淹没，低潮时完全出露或大部分出露，使得在此进行地质填图成为可能，这样的地质图可以提供许多信息，如沉积物粒度分布规律，沉积物来源和搬运方向，海滩岩所指示的古海岸线位置，人类活动特别是海岸工程对沉积物分布的影响以及海岸线的变化过程和趋势，在礁坪上开挖的人工水道内测流，能够了解水流的性质以及是否有足够的速度搬运沉积物，从而了解人工水道对海岸的影响和预测海岸的状态，这些方法也可以用于大陆泥质和砂质第岸侵蚀的研究。     

闽粤交界的大埕湾岸滩稳定分析及岸滩防护对策

本文在实地调查的基础上，通过对大埕湾沿岸输沙率变化和岸线形态的分析，综合探讨了该海湾的泥沙来源，沿岸泥沙迁移特征，岸滩冲淤动态以及海岸的演变趋势．结果表明：该湾沿岸带形成了一股朝W向迁移的波生泥沙流，泥沙主要来自诏安湾和宫口湾；该湾海岸除东部沙坝泻湖岸段略有淤伸外，其余岸段均处于侵蚀状态：随着泥沙来源的减少，海岸内凹蚀退是今后岸线调整的自然过程．文中还对大埕湾岸滩的防侵蚀提出了相应的对策建议。     

Tidally-induced clouds of suspended sediment connected to shallow-water coral reefs

The Bay of Banten, West Java, Indonesia represents a shallow coastal embayment harboring coral reefs subject to extremely turbid conditions. The sedimentary regime and flow structure of two contrasting coral reef islands in the embayment were investigated to identify the mechanisms responsible for mean and peak levels of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) around the reefs. Arrays of in situ calibrated optical backscatter (OBS) sensors were deployed across the reef slopes. Far field conditions were simultaneously monitored using an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and a conductivity temperature and depth (CTD) probe, equipped with an OBS sensor. In addition, hydrographic surveys were conducted using the ADCP attached to a small fishing boat, navigating transects perpendicular to the reef islands. The direct influence of river plumes was found to be insignificant. Waves act only in the uppermost few meters of the reef slopes, where coral growth is most abundant and little sediment is available for resuspension. Tidal currents are the primary cause of high turbidity, which was inferred from peaks in the diurnal and semidiurnal frequency bands of SSC spectra, and the large depths where the turbidity variation sometimes initiates. The entrained sediment disperses upward across the reef slopes, which is likely due to a secondary current associated with bending of the flow along the curved, hydraulically rough reef slopes, in weakly stratified ambient waters. Changes in sediment availability, variable critical shear stresses for erosion and deposition, and the formation and evanescence of island wakes may explain the high variability of SSC at the reef slopes.     

海口湾东部海域淤积趋势机制分析

海口湾东部是南渡江西北新三角洲受水受沙盆地,一直以来是典型的淤积海域。通过历史卫星影像分析海口湾东部浅滩的沉积过程,研究不同时间的湾内表层沉积物分布规律,采用遥感和实测悬浮颗粒物数据认知悬移质泥沙运动规律,借助沉积物粒径趋势分析推移质泥沙运动规律,对海口湾东部海域淤积趋势以及机制进行宏观分析。结果表明:海口湾东部浅滩的多个沙坝生成于不同的围海填地阶段;人类活动建造的向湾内伸突的人工构筑物,减弱了海口湾东部浅滩的潮流和波浪作用,进而导致泥沙在“葫芦岛项目”东部和南部海域沉积。了解海口湾东部海域泥沙运动规律以及海域淤积机制,是解决该海域淤积问题的基础。     

Trapping of fine sediment in a semi-enclosed bay, Palau, Micronesia

Airai Bay, Palau, is a small (3 km²), semi-enclosed, mangrove-fringed, meso-tidal, coral lagoon on the southeast coast of Palau. It drains a small catchment area (26 km²) of highly erodible soils in an area with high annual rainfall (3.7 m). River floods are short-lived and the sediment load is very large, with suspended fine sediment concentration exceeding 1500 mg l⁻¹. The resulting river plume is about 2 m thick. The brackish water residence time is about 7 days; during this period the plume remains a distinct surface feature even after river runoff has ceased. About 98% of the riverine fine sediment settles in Airai Bay, of which about 15–30% is deposited in the mangroves during river floods. This mud remains trapped in Airai Bay because the bay is protected from ocean swells and the tidal currents and locally generated wind waves are too small to resuspend the mud in quantity. The mud is smothering coral reefs, creating a phase shift from coral to fleshy algae dominance, and is even changing habitats by creating mud banks. The persistence of Airai Bay marine resources may not be possible without improved soil erosion control in the river catchment.