Brief description
The goal of Project 2.2.3 was to understand how benthic primary production on fringing reefs in the Kimberley is related to the physical environment (e.g. light, temperature, water motion) as well as biogeochemical conditions (e.g. nutrient inputs). Community-scale rates of production and nutrient uptake will be estimated based on changes in water column oxygen and nutrients over 100s of meters at a representative site in the west Kimberley (Tallon Island, Sunday Island group). Data is stored and managed via the 3 fieldwork trips. 1) 2nd to 22nd October 2013 2) 3rd to 10th February 2014 3) 22nd March to 12th April 2014Lineage
Statement: This process-based field study incorporates measurements during seasonal extremes (wet and dry) to better understand the variability in macrotidal reef production. Key parameters of flood tide inputs to the reef will be measured to address seasonal and tidal variability. Tallon Island contains representative Kimberley reef primary producers, including seagrass, coralline algae, and macroalgae. These community areas will also be mapped to better estimate reef-scale rates of production. Field trips occurred during the end of the Dry (2 - 22nd Oct 2013), the middle of the Wet (3rd-10th Feb 2014), and the end of the Wet (22nd Mar - 12th Apr 2014). Instruments were placed on the reef and logged for nearly the entire duration of these experiments. Water samples were collected from sites chosen to represent each of the major reef primary producer communities. Samples were immediately filtered in the field and were then frozen for further processing at UWA. Detailed methodology available from final report.
Statement: 1) The first field experiment was conducted on Tallon reef at the end of the dry season from 2-22 Oct 2013 involving 5 UWA staff and students, as well as Bardi Jawi Rangers and Traditional Owners. As part of this, the following instrument array was deployed throughout the reef:
- 3 dissolved oxygen sensors
- 1 benthic PAR sensor
- 9 temperature sensors
- 2 acoustic Doppler current profilers
- 4 pressure sensors/tide gauges
2) The second field trip was conducted in early 2014 during the middle of the wet season involving 1 UWA student working closely with Bardi Jawi Rangers and a UWA volunteer. Road closures from heavy rain and difficulty shipping large amounts of research gear up the peninsula meant that this trip was at a much smaller scale than the others, and was mainly focused on measuring seasonal changes in water surrounding the reefs. Measurements of nutrients, chl-a, and total suspended solids were taken from the same fixed stations as Experiment 1. In the last days scheduled for this trip, a large tropical low pressure system passed over Cape Leveque, requiring the research team to evacuate and ending this trip slightly early.
3) A third field experiment was conducted on Tallon reef at the end of the wet season, involving 5 UWA staff and students. This experiment involved collaborative work with the Bardi Jawi Rangers, with Rangers participating on most days of the work. In addition, this experiment was conducted alongside an intensive hydrodynamic study of the reef between UWA and CSIRO as part of project 2.2.1 on reef hydrodynamics, thereby providing very comprehensive hydrodynamic dataset that provided an opportunity to quantify in further detail how the reef hydrodynamics modify reef community productivity and nutrient fluxes in this project.
During the field experiments, the following instruments were deployed:
- 3 dissolved oxygen sensors
- 2 optical fluorescence (chl a) and turbidity loggers
- 2 benthic PAR sensors
- 2 acoustic Doppler current profilers (plus 5 additional current measurements from 2.1.1)
- 2 pressure sensors/tide gauges (plus 8 additional pressure sensor measurements from 2.1.1)
- 64 temperature loggers
- ISCO automated water sampler
Modified: 08 09 2016
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Subjects
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS |
Benthic Habitat |
BIOSPHERE |
COASTAL PROCESSES |
Coral Reefs |
CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth Profilers) |
Concentration of chlorophyll per unit volume of the water body |
Concentration of oxygen {O2} per unit volume of the water body |
Current Meters/Profilers |
Current direction in the water body |
Depth |
Downwelling vector irradiance as photons (PAR wavelengths) in the water body |
EARTH SCIENCE |
ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS |
ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS |
Nutrients |
OCEAN CHEMISTRY |
OCEANS |
Oxygen |
Primary Production |
Temperature of the water body |
Tide Gauges |
Turbidity of the water body |
biota |
environment |
oceans |
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Other Information
(Link to final report)
uri :
https://www.wamsi.org.au/kmrp/kimberley-marine-research-node-projects
Identifiers
- global : d5b4b157-d0a1-48e3-a916-01aa8cecdf30
