Historical timescale records of coral growth and skeletal carbonate deposition under conditions of high turbidity and terrigenous sediment influence

There is a general perception that corals (and coral reefs) are highly susceptible to riverine inputs of terrigenous sediment, and that high rates of such inputs will negatively impact reef health and vitality (usually evidenced by low coral cover and/or high partial mortality rates). In coral reef settings where such inputs have been limited in the past and where corals are not adapted to deal with frequent sediment loading and reduced light penetration, this perception is likely to have considerable validity and may lead, over time, to shifts in coral community structure. However, there is an increasing body of sedimentological, geomorphological and palaeoecological data demonstrating not only long-term (>1,000 year) persistence of coral communities under conditions of high terrigenous sediment input and high turbidity, but also clear evidence of active and rapid reef-accretion. Under these conditions corals seem to be sufficiently adapted to these environmental conditions that coral cover is often high and well-developed reef structures can form. This has been demonstrated at sites in Thailand, Indonesia, Mozambique and at a range of sites along the nearshore (innermost shelf) areas of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia. An apparent paradox thus exists between the perceived negative effects of high turbidity and terrigenous sediment inputs on coral communities (which are widely referred to in the scientific literature) and the increasing sedimentary and palaeoecological evidence for historical timescale persistence of corals and of reef-building in these settings. This raises an intriguing question about coral carbonate production in these environments and about the nature of skeletal carbonate deposition. Are these coral communities able to produce reef structures, despite high terrigenoclastic sediment input and high turbidity regimes, because of particularly high coral growth and calcification rates? Little data exists from nearshore reefs of this type and there has been no attempt to quantify and compare these processes over temporal and spatial scales. This project thus aims to quantify coral extension (growth) and calcification rates, and to quantify the microskeletal characteristics (i.e., the size and density of key skeletal elements in the coral skeleton) from two of the dominant coral species associated with reef-building within nearshore, turbid-zone settings along the central GBR coastline. The focus for the research will be the two best-studied turbid-zone reefs in the region; Paluma Shoals and Lugger Shoal. Extensive datasets are available on the sedimentary environments, hydrodynamic conditions and contemporary community structures in each locality. In addition, radiocarbon (14C) date-constrained growth models exist for each site that allow data to be placed in a reliable chronological framework. Specifically, we will gather data on a massive coral species (Porites lobata) that makes a major contribution to contemporary reef-flat coral communities in both settings, and a branching coral species (Acropora pulchra) which previous research has demonstrated to have been a major framework contributor throughout the growth history of these reefs. The research will utilise novel Computerised (Axial) Tomography (CT) scanning and established Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) approaches to quantify coral growth rates and styles of coral skeletal deposition in these samples. Between-site comparisons will be made against data collected from the same species of Porites and Acropora that were collected from clear water sites at Low Isles during the 1928-1929 Great Barrier Reef Expedition. This extensive and well-catalogued coral repository is stored at the NHM and CT methodologies will allow us to examine the skeletal structures of these corals using non-destructive techniques.