Seawater turbidity and fish communities on coral reefs of Puerto Rico

2013 ◽  
Vol 474 ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Bejarano ◽  
RS Appeldoorn
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Fish Communities

scholarly journals Contrasting patterns in the abundance of fish communities targeted by fishers on two coral reefs in southern Mozambique

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-107
Author(s):  
T Sancelme ◽  
J Goetze ◽  
S Jaquemet ◽  
MG Meekan ◽  
A Flam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Fish Communities

scholarly journals River Streamflow, Remotely Sensed Water Quality, and Benthic Composition of Previously Undescribed Nearshore Coral Reefs in Northern Puerto Rico

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan L. Torres-Pérez ◽  
Carlos E. Ramos-Scharrón ◽  
William J. Hernández ◽  
Roy A. Armstrong ◽  
Maritza Barreto-Orta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Coral Species ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Acropora Palmata ◽  
Chl A ◽  
Benthic Composition

Land-based sediment stress represents a threat to many coral reefs in Puerto Rico primarily as a result of unrestricted land cover/land use changes and poor best management practices. The effects of such stresses have been documented along most coasts around the island. However, little attention has been paid to reefs located on the north coast, and very little is known about their composition and current state. Here, we present a study characterizing riverine inputs, water quality conditions, and benthic composition of two previously undescribed coral reefs (Tómbolo and Machuca reefs) located just eastward of the Río Grande de Manatí outlet in north-central Puerto Rico. This study utilizes a time series of remotely sensed ocean color products [diffuse vertical attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (Kd490) and chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) estimated with data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)] to characterize water quality in this coastal region. In general, the months with relatively high mean daily river streamflow also coincide with months having the highest proportion of eastward wave direction, which can promote the eastward influence of river waters toward the two coral reefs sites. Kd490 and Chl-a showed a higher riverine influence closer to the watershed outlet. Kd490 and Chl-a monthly peaks also coincide with river streamflow highs, particularly at those pixels closer to shore. Tómbolo Reef, located farther eastward of the river outlet, shows a well-developed primary reef framework mainly composed of threatened reef-building species (Acropora palmata, Pseudodiploria) and high coral cover (19–51%). The benthos of Machuca Reef, located closer to the river outlet, is dominated by macroalgae with a significantly lower coral cover (0.2–2.7%) mainly composed of “weedy” coral species (Porites astreoides and Siderastrea radians). Cover of major benthic components correlates with distance from the river outlet, and with gradients in Kd490 and Chl-a, with higher coral cover and lower macroalgal cover farther from the river outlet. Coral cover at Tómbolo Reef is higher than what has been reported for similar sites around Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands showing its ecological importance, and as up until now, an unrecognized potential refuge of reef-building threatened coral species.

scholarly journals Comparison of Satellite-Based Sea Surface Temperature to In Situ Observations Surrounding Coral Reefs in La Parguera, Puerto Rico

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
Andrea M. Gomez ◽  
Kyle C. McDonald ◽  
Karsten Shein ◽  
Stephanie DeVries ◽  
Roy A. Armstrong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Thermal Stresses ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
La Parguera

Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth. In the last few decades, a combination of stressors has produced significant declines in reef expanse, with declining reef health attributed largely to thermal stresses. We investigated the correspondence between time-series satellite remote sensing-based sea surface temperature (SST) datasets and ocean temperature monitored in situ at depth in coral reefs near La Parguera, Puerto Rico. In situ temperature data were collected for Cayo Enrique and Cayo Mario, San Cristobal, and Margarita Reef. The three satellite-based SST datasets evaluated were NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch (CoralTemp), the UK Meteorological Office’s Operational SST and Sea Ice Analysis (OSTIA), and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (G1SST). All three satellite-based SST datasets assessed displayed a strong positive correlation (>0.91) with the in situ temperature measurements. However, all SST datasets underestimated the temperature, compared with the in situ measurements. A linear regression model using the SST datasets as the predictor for the in situ measurements produced an overall offset of ~1 °C for all three SST datasets. These results support the use of all three SST datasets, after offset correction, to represent the temperature regime at the depth of the corals in La Parguera, Puerto Rico.

Turks and Caicos Islands. Assessment of the Coral Reefs of the Turks and Caicos Islands (Part 2: Fish Communities)

2003 ◽  
Vol 496 (26) ◽  
pp. 480-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaho Hoshino ◽  
Marilyn Brandt ◽  
Carrie Manfrino ◽  
Bernhardt Riegl ◽  
Sasha C. C. Steiner
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Turks And Caicos Islands
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