Divergence of seafloor elevation and sea level rise in coral reef ecosystems
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- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Data Releases:
- Seafloor elevation change in Maui, St. Croix, St. Thomas, and the Florida Keys
- USGS data release - Florida Reef Tract 2016-2019 Seafloor Elevation Stability Models, Maps, and Tables
- USGS data release - Multi-grid Analysis of Point Stability Tool
- USGS data release - Seafloor Elevation Change From 2002 to 2016 in the Upper Florida Keys
- USGS data release - Seafloor Elevation Change Analysis Tool
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Port St. Lucie to Marquesas Key, Florida-100 Years From 2001 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Elevation Change
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Port St. Lucie to Marquesas Key, Florida-50 Years From 2001 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Elevation Change
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Port St. Lucie to Marquesas Key, Florida-25 Years From 2001 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Elevation Change
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Port St. Lucie to Marquesas Key, Florida-75 Years From 2001 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Elevation Change
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Deerfield Beach to Homestead, Florida-50 Years From 2014 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Erosion
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Deerfield Beach to Homestead, Florida-25 Years From 2014 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Erosion
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Deerfield Beach to Homestead, Florida-100 Years From 2014 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Erosion
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Deerfield Beach to Homestead, Florida-75 Years From 2014 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Erosion
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Along the Florida Reef Tract From Deerfield Beach to Homestead, Florida-25 Years From 2014 Based on Historical Rates of Mean Elevation Change
- USGS data release - Projected Seafloor Elevation Change in the Upper Florida Keys 25, 50, 75 and 100 Years from 2002
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Abstract
Coral reefs serve as natural barriers that protect adjacent shorelines from coastal hazards such as storms, waves, and erosion. Projections indicate global degradation of coral reefs due to anthropogenic impacts and climate change will cause a transition to net erosion by mid-century. Here, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the combined effect of all of the processes affecting seafloor accretion and erosion by measuring changes in seafloor elevation and volume for five coral reef ecosystems in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean over the last several decades. Regional-scale mean elevation and volume losses were observed at all five study sites and in 77 % of the 60 individual habitats that we examined across all study sites. Mean seafloor elevation losses for whole coral reef ecosystems in our study ranged from −0.09 to −0.8 m, corresponding to net volume losses ranging from 3.4 × 106 to 80.5 × 106 m3 for all study sites. Erosion of both coral-dominated substrate and non-coral substrate suggests that the current rate of carbonate production is no longer sufficient to support net accretion of coral reefs or adjacent habitats. We show that regional-scale loss of seafloor elevation and volume has accelerated the rate of relative sea level rise in these regions. Current water depths have increased to levels not predicted until near the year 2100, placing these ecosystems and nearby communities at elevated and accelerating risk to coastal hazards. Our results set a new baseline for projecting future impacts to coastal communities resulting from degradation of coral reef systems and associated losses of natural and socioeconomic resources.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Divergence of seafloor elevation and sea level rise in coral reef ecosystems |
| Series title | Biogeosciences |
| DOI | 10.5194/bg-14-1739-2017 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1-15 |
| Year Published | 2017 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | European Geosciences Union |
| Contributing office(s) | St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center |
| Description | 34 p. |
| First page | 1739 |
| Last page | 1772 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |