RRC ID 73896
Author Pomeroy AWM, Ghisalberti M, Peterson M, Farooji VE.
Title A framework to quantify flow through coral reefs of varying coral cover and morphology.
Journal PLoS One
Abstract Flow velocities within coral reefs are greatly reduced relative to those at the water surface. The in-reef flow controls key processes that flush heat, cycle nutrients and transport sediment from the reef to adjacent beaches, all key considerations in assessments of reef resilience and restoration interventions. An analytical framework is proposed and tested with a suite of high-resolution numerical experiments. We demonstrate a single parameter that describes the total coral frontal area explains variation of horizontally averaged velocity within a reef canopy across morphologies, densities, and flow depths. With the integration of existing data of coral cover and geometry, this framework is a practical step towards the prediction of near-bed flows in diverse reef environments.
Volume 18(1)
Pages e0279623
Published 2023-1-18
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0279623
PII PONE-D-21-36963
PMID 36652422
PMC PMC9847983
MeSH Animals Anthozoa* Coral Reefs* Ecosystem
IF 2.74
Resource
GBIF Asia-Pacific Dataset Scleractinia specimens of Kuroshio Biological Research Foundation