Carbonate production of an emergent reef platform, Warraber Island, Torres Strait, Australia
2007
Hart, D.E. | Kench, P.S.
Complex relationships exist between tropical reef ecology, carbonate (CaCO₃) production andcarbonate sinks. This paper investigates census-based techniques for determining the distribution andcarbonate production of reef organisms on an emergent platform in central Torres Strait, Australia,and compares the contemporary budget with geological findings to infer shifts in reef productivityover the late Holocene. Results indicate that contemporary carbonate production varies by severalorders of magnitude between and within the different reef-flat sub-environments depending on covertype and extent. Average estimated reef flat production was 1.66 ±1.78 kg m² yr⁻¹ (mean ± SD)although only 23% of the area was covered by carbonate producers. Collectively, these organismsproduce 17,399 ±18,618 t CaCO₃ yr⁻¹, with production dominated by coral (73%) and subordinatecontributions by encrusting coralline algae (18%) articulated coralline algae, molluscs, foraminiferaand Halimeda (<4%). Comparisons between these organisms production across the different reef flatzones, surface sediment composition and accumulation rates calculated from cores indicate that it isnecessary to understand the spatial distribution, density and production of each major organism whenconsidering the types and amounts of carbonate available for storage in the various reef carbonatesinks. These findings raise questions as to the reliability of using modal production rates in globalmodels independent of ecosystem investigation, in particular, indicating that current models mayoverestimate reef productivity in emergent settings.
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