Coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef.
Recently, the inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef have declined rapidly because of deteriorating water quality. Increased catchment runoff is one potential culprit. The impacts of land-use on coral growth and reef health however are largely circumstantial due to limited long-term data on water q...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2013-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3785503?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1828889083038924800 |
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| author | Jennie Mallela Stephen E Lewis Barry Croke |
| author_facet | Jennie Mallela Stephen E Lewis Barry Croke |
| author_sort | Jennie Mallela |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recently, the inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef have declined rapidly because of deteriorating water quality. Increased catchment runoff is one potential culprit. The impacts of land-use on coral growth and reef health however are largely circumstantial due to limited long-term data on water quality and reef health. Here we use a 60 year coral core record to show that phosphorus contained in the skeletons (P/Ca) of long-lived, near-shore Porites corals on the Great Barrier Reef correlates with annual records of fertiliser application and particulate phosphorus loads in the adjacent catchment. Skeletal P/Ca also correlates with Ba/Ca, a proxy for fluvial sediment loading, again linking near-shore phosphorus records with river runoff. Coral core records suggest that phosphorus levels increased 8 fold between 1949 and 2008 with the greatest levels coinciding with periods of high fertiliser-phosphorus use. Periods of high P/Ca correspond with intense agricultural activity and increased fertiliser application in the river catchment following agricultural expansion and replanting after cyclone damage. Our results demonstrate how coral P/Ca records can be used to assess terrestrial nutrient loading of vulnerable near-shore reefs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T12:34:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-34e3feb9730747d49959780609c13eae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T12:34:22Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-34e3feb9730747d49959780609c13eae2022-12-21T23:45:55ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032013-01-0189e7566310.1371/journal.pone.0075663Coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef.Jennie MallelaStephen E LewisBarry CrokeRecently, the inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef have declined rapidly because of deteriorating water quality. Increased catchment runoff is one potential culprit. The impacts of land-use on coral growth and reef health however are largely circumstantial due to limited long-term data on water quality and reef health. Here we use a 60 year coral core record to show that phosphorus contained in the skeletons (P/Ca) of long-lived, near-shore Porites corals on the Great Barrier Reef correlates with annual records of fertiliser application and particulate phosphorus loads in the adjacent catchment. Skeletal P/Ca also correlates with Ba/Ca, a proxy for fluvial sediment loading, again linking near-shore phosphorus records with river runoff. Coral core records suggest that phosphorus levels increased 8 fold between 1949 and 2008 with the greatest levels coinciding with periods of high fertiliser-phosphorus use. Periods of high P/Ca correspond with intense agricultural activity and increased fertiliser application in the river catchment following agricultural expansion and replanting after cyclone damage. Our results demonstrate how coral P/Ca records can be used to assess terrestrial nutrient loading of vulnerable near-shore reefs.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3785503?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Jennie Mallela Stephen E Lewis Barry Croke Coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef. PLoS ONE |
| title | Coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef. |
| title_full | Coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef. |
| title_fullStr | Coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef. |
| title_short | Coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef. |
| title_sort | coral skeletons provide historical evidence of phosphorus runoff on the great barrier reef |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3785503?pdf=render |
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