Quantifying the impact of watershed urbanization on a coral reef: Maunalua Bay,Hawaii |
| |
Authors: | Eric Wolanski Jonathan A. Martinez Robert H. Richmond |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. ACTFR and Department of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia;2. AIMS, Cape Ferguson, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia;3. Kewalo Marine Laboratory, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 41 Ahui Street, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA;4. Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 3190 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Human activities in the watersheds surrounding Maunalua Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, have lead to the degradation of coastal coral reefs affecting populations of marine organisms of ecological, economic and cultural value. Urbanization, stream channelization, breaching of a peninsula, seawalls, and dredging on the east side of the bay have resulted in increased volumes and residence time of polluted runoff waters, eutrophication, trapping of terrigenous sediments, and the formation of a permanent nepheloid layer. The ecosystem collapse on the east side of the bay and the prevailing westward longshore current have resulted in the collapse of the coral and coralline algae population on the west side of the bay. In turn this has lead to a decrease in carbonate sediment production through bio-erosion as well as a disintegration of the dead coral and coralline algae, leading to sediment starvation and increased wave breaking on the coast and thus increased coastal erosion. The field data and resulting coral reef ecohydrology model presented in this paper demonstrate and quantify the importance of biophysical processes leading to coral reef degradation as the result of urbanization. Coral restoration in Maunalua Bay will require an integrated ecosystem approach. |
| |
Keywords: | urbanization river plume fine sediment nepheloid layer herbivorous fish algae coral reefs Hawaii |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|