Data from: Algal turf sediments on coral reefs: what's known and what's next

Full description

Chapter 4 of my thesis was a literature review that examined algal turf sediments on coral reefs. Even though it was a literature review it contained some data compiled from previous studies. These studies were:

• Purcell, S.W., 2000. Association of epilithic algae with sediment distribution on a windward reef in the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Bull. Mar. Sci. 66, 199–214.
• Gordon, S.E., Goatley, C.H.R., Bellwood, D.R., 2016b. Composition and temporal stability of turf sediments on inner-shelf coral reefs. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 111, 178–183.
• Goatley, C.H.R., Bonaldo, R.M., Fox, R.J., Bellwood, D.R., 2016. Sediments and herbivory as sensitive indicators of coral reef degradation. Ecol. Soc. 21, 29.
• Tebbett, S.B., Goatley, C.H.R., Bellwood, D.R., 2017a. Algal turf sediments and sediment production by parrotfishes across the continental shelf of the northern Great Barrier Reef. PLoS One 12, e0170854.
• Tebbett, S.B., Goatley, C.H.R., Bellwood, D.R., 2018b. Algal turf sediments across the Great Barrier Reef: Putting coastal reefs in perspective. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 137, 518–525.

From these studies I sourced data on algal turf length (measured in mm) and algal turf sediment load (g m^-2) which had been quantified using vacuum sampling methods on coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef. These data allowed me to explore graphically the relationship between sediment load and algal turf length, sediment load distributions among habitats and sediment load distributions across the continental shelf of the Great Barrier Reef. 

Notes

All datasets were compiled from previously published sources which are outlined in the manuscript. They include:

LengthVsMass.csv:
Sediment = algal turf sediment loads in g m^-2
Turf = algal turf length in mm
References:
PB = Purcell 2000
SG = Gordon et al. 2016

SedsVsHabitat.csv:
Sediment = algal turf sediment loads in g m^-2
Turf = algal turf length in mm
References:
PB = Purcell 2000
SG = Gordon et al. 2016

CombinedSedMass.csv:
Sed = algal turf sediment loads in g m^-2

The R scripts (R Markdown format) used to produce the graphs in the literature review have also been archived.