55 Results Found

The North Atlantic coast of Morocco is characterised by a flat rocky outcrop in the south (Asilah Beach) and a sandy beach free of rocky outcrops in the north (Charf el-Akab). These natural beaches were monitored for a period of two years (April 2005...

The present study reports on a series of laboratory experiments aiming to understand and to optimize the deployment of seawall defences over low-lying coral reef flats. The study is performed in a purely cross-shore configuration, with varying wave f...

A series of physical model tests were performed to investigate the wave propagation, pressure, and wave overtopping processes for vertical and sloped seawalls on the reef flat. For both regular and irregular waves, the effects of incident wave height...

An investigation into the evolution of coral rubble deposits on a coral reef platform is assessed using high-resolution remote sensing data and geospatial analysis. Digital change detection analysis techniques are applied to One Tree Reef in the sout...

On atoll islands, the fresh water lens (FWL) constitutes, for the island population, a very important fresh water resource for various usages. Its shape and thickness highly depend on the underground characteristics of several rock formations which c...

In this study, a Boussinesq-type wave model, namely FUNWAVE-TVD, was employed to explore solitary wave processes over coral atolls in two horizontal dimensions. First, a typical solitary wave propagation process over an idealized atoll in a field sca...

In order to better understand the role of coral reefs around an isolated island in mitigating tsunami hazards, this study performed a horizontally two-dimensional (2DH) numerical study of tsunami-like solitary wave propagation and run-up around an id...

Dredging materials from reef flats have become an important source of sand and aggregates for meeting the infrastructure needs of coral-lined shores in subtropical and tropical regions, especially for low-lying atoll islands. Dredging at the reef fla...

This study numerically investigates wave transformation and setup processes across fringing reefs, focusing on artificial reef configuration effects under varying tidal conditions and incident wave parameters. The OpenFOAM-based waves2Foam model simu...

It is crucial for reef revetments to respond dynamically to rigorous wave actions for structural stability and safety. A comprehensive analysis of the interaction between the wave force and wave overtopping in a reef revetment project was conducted b...

This study utilized a shock-capturing Boussinesq model FUNWAVE-TVD to investigate the maximum momentum flux in the solitary wave run-up zone over back-reef slopes. Validation results of the present model were compared to the previous version of FUNWA...

Insufficient comprehension of the seismic impact of the reef terrain, geology, and material properties of the reefs in the South China Sea still presents considerable impediments in studying the seismic response of reef engineering sites and assessin...

The seismic safety evaluation of artificial reef islands is of great significance for ensuring their long-term stable operation and the safety of residents’ lives. However, due to an insufficient understanding of coral reefs’ basic charac...

Physical forcings affect water exchange in coral reef atolls. Characteristics of the consequent water exchange depend on the atoll morphology and the local atmospheric and hydrographic conditions. The pattern of water exchange at the Dongsha atoll un...

Coral reefs globally are impacted by natural and anthropogenic stressors that are compounded by climate change. Understanding past reef responses to natural stressors (cyclones, sea-level change, freshwater inputs, and sedimentation) can provide impo...

Coral reefs are effective natural flood barriers that protect adjacent coastal communities. As the need to adapt to rising sea levels, storms, and environmental changes increases, reef restoration may be one of the best tools available to mitigate co...

This paper employs Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods to develop a numerical model of an oscillating buoy-wave energy converter and investigates the impact of steep seabed topography near islands and reefs on its performance. The model’...

An extensive late Aeronian patch reef swarm outcrops for 60–70 km on Anticosti Island, eastern Canada, located in the inner to mid-shelf area of a prominent tropical carbonate platform of southeastern Laurentia, at 20°–25° S paleolatitude of the sout...

Throughout the Caribbean, coral reefs are transitioning from rugose, coral-dominated communities to flat, soft coral-dominated habitats, triggering declines in biodiversity. To help mitigate these losses, artificial structures have been used to re-cr...

Oyster reefs are receiving increasing attention due to severe survival challenges and their significant ecological service functions. Despite increased restorations worldwide, both natural and restored reefs have often not been monitored to an extent...

Groundwater discharge from high tropical islands can have a significant influence on the biochemistry of reef ecosystems. Recent studies have suggested that a portion of groundwater may underflow the reefs to be discharged, either through the reef fl...

The ability of different marine species to use acoustic cues to locate reefs is known, but the maximal propagation distance of coral reef sounds is still unknown. Using drifting antennas (made of a floater and an autonomous recorder connected to a hy...

This study examines four shallow-water, reef-coral-bearing carbonate successions belonging to the Jhill Limestone Unit of the Gaj Formation, exposed in the area near Karachi (southern Pakistan). Sixty-two samples were collected for the quantitative a...

The low-lying reef islands distributed in the tropical and subtropical coastal regions are highly vulnerable to the devastating damages of surges and waves during the severe weather events. Over the past two decades, extreme waves have caused tremend...

Many coral reef systems are shelf-based and consist of reefs that are arranged in rows parallel to the coastline. They usually show an increase in species richness in the offshore direction, coinciding with decreasing terrigenous impact and a deeper...

Global warming and sea-level rise (SLR) induced by rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations can cause coral bleaching, death, and submergence of the world’s coral reefs. Adopting the GIS and RS methods, we modeled how these two stressors combine to infl...

Coral reefs are declining worldwide as a result of the effects of multiple natural and anthropogenic stressors, including regional-scale temperature-induced coral bleaching. Such events have caused significant coral mortality, leading to an evident s...

The amount of live and dead coral is related to recruitment, but differentiating them by remote sensing techniques is difficult. We measured change in the amount of live, bleached, and recently (<6 months) dead coral cover (CCA6) for an island arc...

The Ningaloo Reef, Australia’s longest fringing reef, is uniquely positioned in the NW region of the continent, with clear, oligotrophic waters, relatively low human impacts, and a high level of protection through the World Heritage Site and it...

Coral bleaching is occurring more frequently as the climate changes, with multiple mass mortality events recently recorded on the Great Barrier Reef. Thermal stress coupled with high irradiance have previously been shown to be primary causes for cora...

Many corals and reef-dwelling organisms are susceptible to the impacts of storm events, which are typically characterized by large inputs of freshwater, sediment, and nutrients. The majority of storm effects are focused on shallow, nearshore reef fla...

Associations between habitat-forming, branching scleractinian corals and damselfish have critical implications for the function and trophic dynamics of coral reef ecosystems. This study quantifies how different characteristics of reef habitat, and of...

Marine geophysical and geological investigations are crucial for evaluating the construction suitability of artificial fish reefs (AFRs). Key factors such as seabed topography, geomorphology, sub-bottom structure, and sediment type significantly infl...

Assumptions about the fate of low-lying coral reef islands (atolls) facing global warming are poorly constrained, due to insufficient information on their depositional history. Based on the U/Th dating of 48 coral clasts, the chronostratigraphic anal...

In this paper, we study the maximum run-up of solitary waves on a sloping beach and over a reef through a non-hydrostatic model. We do a modification on the non-hydrostatic model derived by Stelling and Zijlema. The model is approximated by resolving...

The South Pacific region is characterised by steep shelves and fringing coral reef islands. The lack of wide continental shelves that can dissipate waves makes Pacific Island countries vulnerable to large waves that can enhance extreme total water le...

The genus Acaryochloris is unique among phototrophic organisms due to the dominance of chlorophyll d in its photosynthetic reaction centres and light-harvesting proteins. This allows Acaryochloris to capture light energy for photosynthesis over an ex...

Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea or holothurians) are a valuable fishery and are also crucial nutrient recyclers, bioturbation agents, and hosts for many biotic associates. Their ecological impacts could be substantial given their high abundance in some...

This study focuses on the analysis of the sedimentary facies of the Middle–Late Permian, including the Qixia, Maokou, Wujiaoping/Longtan, and Changxing/Dalong Formations, in the Sichuan Basin, southwest China. Integrating drilling data and fiel...

Sea cucumbers are bottom dwelling invertebrates, which are mostly found on subtropical and tropical sea grass beds, sandy reef flats, or reef slopes. Although constantly exposed to fouling communities in these habitats, many species are surprisingly...

Accurate prediction of wave overtopping rates is essential for flood risk assessment along coral reef coastlines. This study quantifies the uncertainty sources affecting overtopping rates for vertical seawalls on reef flats, using ensemble simulation...

Calcareous sand is a crucial construction material for island and reef development and reinforcing it using Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) technology is a promising new method. This study employed 3D scanning technology to assess ch...

Kuwait territorial water hosts an important part of national biodiversity (i.e., zooplankton and phytoplankton), but very limited information exists on the overall diversity of benthic foraminifera. On the basis of the integration of publications, re...

Sloping seabeds are widely found in offshore areas, especially around coral reefs, where complex topography significantly affects wave–current propagation characteristics and seabed dynamic responses. However, previous studies have mainly focus...

The field of bioinspired underwater robots aims to replicate the capabilities of marine animals in artificial systems. Stingrays have emerged as highly promising species to be mimicked because of their flat body morphology and size. Furthermore, they...

An airborne LiDAR survey of the Nan Madol World Heritage Site and adjacent Temwen Island revealed a complex, irrigated cultivation system, the first found in the Central and Eastern Caroline Islands. This informs the goals of the sustainable conserva...

A model for the extraction and quantitative characterization of submarine landforms from high-resolution digital bathymetry is presented. The procedure is fully automated and comprises two parts. The first part consists of an analytical model which e...

Vessel noise is an acute and chronic stressor of a wide variety of marine fauna. Understanding, modelling and mitigating the impacts of this pollutant requires quantification of acoustic signatures for various vessel classes for input into propagatio...

Ocean acidification (OA) results in reduced seawater pH and aragonite saturation state (Ωarag), but also reduced seawater buffer capacity. As buffer capacity decreases, diel variation in seawater chemistry increases. However, a variety of ecosystem f...

Ground water resources of atolls, already minimal due to the small surface area and low elevation of the islands, are also subject to recurring, and sometimes devastating, droughts. As ground water resources become the sole fresh water source when ra...