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Coral Ba/Ca records of sediment input to the fringing reef of the southshore of Moloka’i, Hawai’i over the last several decades.
- Source :
- Marine Pollution Bulletin; Oct2010, Vol. 60 Issue 10, p1822-1835, 14p
- Publication Year :
- 2010
-
Abstract
- Abstract: The fringing reef of southern Moloka’i is perceived to be in decline because of land-based pollution. In the absence of historical records of sediment pollution, ratios of coral Ba/Ca were used to test the hypothesis that sedimentation has increased over time. Baseline Ba/Ca ratios co-vary with the abundance of red, terrigenous sediment visible in recent imagery. The highest values at One Ali’i are near one of the muddiest parts of the reef. This co-varies with the lowest growth rate of all the sites, perhaps because the upstream Kawela watershed was historically leveed all the way to the nearshore, providing a fast-path for sediment delivery. Sites adjacent to small, steep watersheds have ∼decadal periodicities whereas sites adjacent to mangrove forests have shorter-period fluctuations that correspond to the periodicity of sediment transport in the nearshore, rather than the watershed. All four sites show a statistically significant upward trend in Ba/Ca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0025326X
- Volume :
- 60
- Issue :
- 10
- Database :
- Supplemental Index
- Journal :
- Marine Pollution Bulletin
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 53972064
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.05.024