The Variation of Plankton Community Structure in Artificial Reef Area and Adjacent Waters in Haizhou Bay

Plankton are an important component of marine protected areas(MPAs),and its communities would require much smaller interpatch distances to ensure connection among MPAs.According to the survey from MPAs dominated by artificial reefs and adjacent waters(estuary area(EA),aquaculture area(AA),artificial reef area(ARA),natural area(NA)and comprehensive effect area(CEA))in Haizhou Bay in spring and autumn,we analyzed phyto-zooplankton composition,abundance and biomass,and correlation with hydrologic variables to gain information about the forces that structure the plankton.The results showed that the dominant zooplankton were copepods(spring,98.9%;autumn,94.2%),while the phytoplankton were mainly composed of Bacillariophyta(spring,61.8%;autumn,95.6%).The RDA results showed that temperature,salinity and depth highly associated with the distribution and composition of plankton species among the habitats than other factors in spring;temperature,Chla and DO had the strongest influence in autumn.The zooplankton in the ARA and AA ecosystems basically contained the same species as those in other habitats,and each habitat also exhibited a relatively unique combination of plankton species.The structures of the EA zooplankton in spring and the EA phytoplankton in both seasons were much different than other habitats,which may have been caused by factors such as currents and tides.We concluded that there exists similarity of the plankton community between artificial reef area and adjacent waters,whereas the EAs may be relatively independent systems.Therefore,these interaction between plankton community should be considered when designing MPA networks,and ocean circulations should be considered more than the environmental factors.

Catch organism assemblages along artificial reefs area and adjacent waters in Haizhou Bay

To better understand the community patterns mediated by connectivity in artificial reefs of coastal areas, it is necessary to understand the distribution and coexistence of organisms with artificial reefs area and adjacent waters. This study was conducted to examine main catches assemblages collected by trawls in Haizhou Bay,which included five habitats: the artificial reef area(AR), aquaculture area(AA), natural area(NA), estuary area(EA) and comprehensive effect area(CEA). The result shows that the total abundances of species in the five habitats were highly different(univariate PERMANOVA: P = 0.001, n = 24), but some species were also unique in their habitat(e.g. Scapharca subcrenata and Glossaulax didyma in AA). The body size distribution of specific species between habitats are different. For Collichthys lucidus, their body size in AR(14.63 cm ± 1.64 cm) and EA(14.3 cm ± 0.85 cm) is higher than that in NA(10.65 cm ± 1.64 cm), CEA(11.28 cm ± 1.85 cm) and AA(12.1 cm ±0.43 cm), which indicates the potential connection from AR to EA mediated by their adult population. We concluded that artificial reefs in AR can be considered key components that have the ability to support species assemblages in adjacent habitats. This study has implications for the conservation and monitoring of species assemblages in coastal areas in terms of that artificial reefs can be applied in different stages of habitat protection implementation and in different combinations of scenarios.

Flow Field Characteristics of Multi-Trophic Artificial Reef Based on Computation Fluid Dynamics

On the basis of computational fluid dynamics,the flow field characteristics of multi-trophic artificial reefs,including the flow field distribution features of a single reef under three different velocities and the effect of spacing between reefs on flow scale and the flow state,were analyzed.Results indicate upwelling,slow flow,and eddy around a single reef.Maximum velocity,height,and volume of upwelling in front of a single reef were positively correlated with inflow velocity.The length and volume of slow flow increased with the increase in inflow velocity.Eddies were present both inside and backward,and vorticity was positively correlated with inflow velocity.Space between reefs had a minor influence on the maximum velocity and height of upwelling.With the increase in space from 0.5 L to 1.5 L(L is the reef lehgth),the length of slow flow in the front and back of the combined reefs increased slightly.When the space was 2.0 L,the length of the slow flow decreased.In four different spaces,eddies were present inside and at the back of each reef.The maximum vorticity was negatively correlated with space from 0.5 L to 1.5 L,but under 2.0 L space,the maximum vorticity was close to the vorticity of a single reef under the same inflow velocity.

Coral reef ecological pump for gathering and retaining nutrients and exporting carbon:a review and perspectives

How coral reefs with high productivity and biodiversity can flourish in oligotrophic tropical oceans has inspired substantial research on coral reef ecosystems.Increasing evidence shows that similar to water in an oasis in the desert,there are stable nutrient supplies to coral reefs in oligotrophic oceans.Here,with emphasis on the fluxes of organic matter,we summarize at the ecosystem level(1)the multiple input pathways of external nutrients,(2)the storage of nutrients in reef organisms,(3)the efficient retaining and recycling of dissolved and particulate organic matter within coral reef ecosystems,(4)the distinctly high phytoplankton productivity and biomass inside and near oceanic coral reefs,and(5)the export of reef-related organic carbon to adjacent open oceans.These properties enable coral reefs to function as ecological“pumps”for gathering nutrients across ecosystems and space,retaining and recycling nutrients within the ecosystem,supporting high phytoplankton productivity,and exporting organic carbon to adjacent open oceans.Particularly,the high phytoplankton productivity and biomass make waters around coral reefs potential hotspots of carbon export to ocean depths via the biological pump.We demonstrate that organic carbon influx is vital for coral reef ecosystems’carbon budget and carbon export.The concept of the coral reef ecological pump provides a framework to improve the understanding of the functioning of the coral reef ecosystem and its responses to disturbance.Prospects of the coral reef ecological pump in coral reef studies are discussed in changing oceans driven by human activities and global change in the Anthropocene.

Sedimentary nitrogen dynamics in a coastal reef area with relatively high nitrogen concentration

The migration and transformation of nitrogen(N)in sediments play an important role in regulating the N concentration and nutrient structures in shallow seas.However,studies of sedimentary N dynamics are rarely focused on carbonate sediments,although these account for about 40%of the continental shelf area.Thus,the regulation mechanisms of the N dynamics in the carbonate sands of coral reefs are not clear.Taking the coral reef area of Weizhou Island,which has a relatively high N concentration,as the research object,we conducted a series of flow-through reactor experiments to investigate the fluxes of different N forms at the interface of sediment and seawater and their regulation mechanism by environmental factors.The fluxes of dissolved inorganic and organic N(DIN and DON)at different stations were-0.39-0.12 mmol/(m^(2)·h) and-0.18-0.39 mmol/(m^(2)·h),respectively.Denitrification(0.11-0.25 mmol/(m^(2)·h) was closely coupled to nitrification,which was limited by the availability of organic matter and its degradation product(i.e.,NH_(4)^(+)).Thus,the excessive NO_(3)^(-) might be reduced to NH4+by dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium,rather than to N_(2) by denitrification.NO_(3)^(-) reduction peaked at intermediate advection rates(96 L/(m^(2)·h)) and flow path lengths(10 cm),but the release of DON also peaked at the same condition.In addition,climate warming would significantly affect sedimentary N dynamics at Weizhou Island.These results may help address the broader issue of the N cycle in coral reef eco systems under the dual pressure of climate warming and anthropogenic activities,and these results are beneficial to coral reef protection and local ecological management.

Meso-mechanical anisotropy and fracture evolution of reef limestones from the Maldives Islands and the South China Sea

Reef limestone is a biogenic sedimentary rock widely distributed in coral reef areas, acting as an important foundation for coast construction. Due to its special biogenic origin, reef limestone is different from conventional rocks both in terms of rock structure and mechanical properties. In this study, mesoscale uniaxial compression experiments with five different loading directions were conducted on two kinds of reef limestones from the Maldives Islands and the South China Sea, respectively. The real-time high-resolution videos and images of failure processes were recorded simultaneously to investigate the fracture evolution and fracture surface roughness of reef limestones. It demonstrated that the reef limestones belonged to extremely soft to soft rocks, and their uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) values fluctuated with high discreteness. The mesoscale mechanical properties of reef limestones were highly anisotropic and mainly controlled by pore structure. The occurrence of dissolution pores in reef limestone tended to intensify mechanical anisotropy. With the integration of the fracture initiation and propagation features of reef limestones, it is supposed that the intrinsic mechanism of anisotropy was probably attributed to the differences in coral growth direction and dissolution. Furthermore, the quantified fracture surface roughness was revealed to have a good consistency with density and UCS for the reef limestones from the South China Sea. The findings are helpful for providing theoretical and experimental references for engineering construction in coral reef areas.

An investigation of the morphodynamic change of reef islands under monochromatic waves

The persistence and habitability of coral reef islands in future extreme oceanographic conditions has received increasing attention in the recent decade,concerning that the sea level rise(SLR)and more frequent and intense storms in the context of global climate change are expected to destabilize those islands.Here,we conduct a set of wave-flume laboratory experiments focusing on the morphodynamic change of reef islands to varying ocean forcing conditions(wave height and SLR).Subsequently,a phase-resolving XBeach numerical model is adopted to simulate the monochromatic wave process and its associated sediment dynamics.The adopted model is also firstly validated by laboratory experimental results as reported in this study.It is then used to examine the impacts of island morphological factors(island width,island height,island location and island side slope)on the island migration.The combined laboratory/physical and numerical experiment outputs suggest that reef islands can accrete vertically in response to the sea level rise and the increased storminess.

Stressed Coral Reef Identification Using Deep Learning CNN Techniques

Deep learning is a machine learning technique that allows the computer to process things that occur naturally to humans.Today,deep learning techniques are commonly used in computer vision to classify images and videos.As a result,for challenging computer vision problems,deep learning provides state of the art solutions to it.Coral reefs are an essential resource of the earth.A new study finds the planet has lost half of its coral reefs since 1950.It is necessary to restore and prevent damage to coral reefs as they play an important role in maintaining a balance in the marine ecosystem.This proposed work helps to prevent the corals from bleaching and restore them to a healthy condition by identifying the root cause of the threats.In the proposed work,using deep learning CNN techniques,the images are classified into Healthy and Stressed coral reefs.Stressed coral reefs are an intermediate state of coral reef between healthy and bleached coral reefs.The pre-trained models Resnet50 and Inception V3 are used in this study to classify the images.Also,a proposed CNN model is built and tested for the same.The results of Inception V3 and Resnet50 are improved to 70%and 55%by tuning the hypermeters such as dropouts and batch normalisation.Similarly,the proposed model is tuned as required and obtains a maximum of up to 90%accuracy.With large datasets,the optimum amount of neural networks and tuning it as required brings higher accuracy than other methods.

Scleractinian Corals and Reefs of Vietnam as a Part of the Pacific Reef Ecosystem

The paper analyzes both published and unpublished results of the investigations of Vietnamese reef building corals and reefs performed in the last decades of the twentieth century and first decades twenty-first. The state of the art in the study of reef-building scleractinian corals and reefs is presented. The scleractinian fauna of Vietnam is shown to match in species diversity (350 species of 80 genera) the tropical coral fauna of the Indonesian–Malacca fertile center, from which Indo-Pacific reef-building corals originated. The whole Vietnam coast from the Gulf of Tonkin to the Gulf of Siam is a biogeographically single whole and is a part of the Indo-Polynesian Province of the Indo-Pacific Area.

澳大利亚悉尼Long Reef Beach中新世古土壤岩石磁学特征及环境意义

本文对发育在澳大利亚悉尼附近的Long Reef Beach中新世古土壤剖面进行了系统的岩石磁学研究,测量了磁化率、饱和磁化强度、饱和等温剩磁、非磁滞剩磁等常温磁学参数和磁滞回线,并对所有样品进行了热磁分析.实验结果表明:全新世软土层主要磁性矿物为MD颗粒磁铁矿,磁性矿物含量与黄土高原黄土层相当.中新世老成土层随地层深度增加主要磁性矿物由磁铁矿转变为磁赤铁矿,随着磁铁矿向磁赤铁矿的转化,开始出现赤铁矿;磁性矿物粒径分布较广,以PSD颗粒为主,其次为SD颗粒,同时含有少量MD颗粒;磁性矿物含量高于黄土高原强发育古土壤层.中新世红土矿层主要磁性矿物为赤铁矿,同时含有少量磁赤铁矿和针铁矿,属于铁的富集层,赤铁矿以SD颗粒为主,含少量PSD和MD颗粒.Long Reef Beach中新世古土壤形成时期,对应着一种全球性高温多雨气候,地表化学风化作用十分强烈.丰富的降水,导致中新世老成土层发生淋溶作用,磁铁矿在向下淋溶迁移过程中逐渐氧化为磁赤铁矿和赤铁矿,铁氧化物最终在红土矿层淀积,磁赤铁矿经高温压实作用再结晶转化为赤铁矿.磁性矿物转化过程可概括为磁铁矿—磁赤铁矿化的磁铁矿—磁赤铁矿—赤铁矿,其中部分磁赤铁矿具有热稳定性,在空气(氩气)环境中加热到700℃未发生转化.

Early-Middle Permian Reef Frameworks and Reef-building Models in the Eastern Kunlun Mountains

Reef frameworks and building models of the Early-Middle Permian in the eastern Kunlun Mountains have been verified through studies of reef-building communities, palaeoecology and carbonate facies. The eastern Kunlun reefs are built mainly by 6 reef-building communities, which include 11 major categories of frame-building organisms and 6 categories of reef-associated organisms. Eight types of reef-frames have been distinguished and eleven kinds of rocks identified to belong to 6 reef facies. Three sorts of reefs classified by previous researchers, namely mudmounds, knoll reefs and walled reefs, are well developed in the study area. Such reef-facies association and reef distribution show that there are 4 models of reef growth and development, i.e. the tidal-bank knoll-reef model, the plateau-margin wall-reef model, the composite wall-reef model and the deep-water mudmound model. The reefs are mainly constructed by calcareous sponge and calcareous algae, which are similar to all Permian reefs in other area

Large-scale Tazhong Ordovician Reef-flat Oil-Gas Field in the Tarim Basin of China

The Tazhong reef-fiat oil-gas field is the first large-scale Ordovician organic reef type oil-gas field found in China. Its organic reefs were developed in the early Late Ordovician Lianglitag Formation, and are the first large reefs of the coral-stromatoporoid hermatypic community found in China. The organic reefs and platform-margin grain banks constitute a reef-flat complex, mainly consisting of biolithites and grainstones. The biolithites can be classified into the framestone, baffiestone, bindstone etc. The main body of the complex lies around the wells from Tazhong-24 to Tazhong-82, trending northwest, with the thickness from 100 to 300 m, length about 220 km and width 5-10 km. It is a reef-flat lithologic hydrocarbon reservoir, with a very complex hydrocarbon distribution： being a gas condensate reservoir as a whole with local oil reservoirs. The hydrocarbon distribution is controlled by the reef complex, generally located in the upper 100-200 m part of the complex, and largely in a banded shape along the complex. On the profile, the reservoir shows a stratified feature, with an altitude difference of almost 2200 m from southeast to northwest. The petroleum accumulation is controlled by karst reservoir beds and the northeast strike-slip fault belt. The total geologic reserves had reached 297.667 Mt by 2007.

Depositional Architecture and Evolution of Late Permian Reefs in Ziyun County,Southern Guizhou, China

The uppermost Permian reef complex in Ziyun County, southern Guizhou occurs as a third-order depositional sequence developed in the platform marginal break zone during the Late Permian transgressive period This paper deals with the evolution of the third-order sequence and depositional arthitecture of the sequence stratigraphic units with the analysis of outcrop sequence stratigraphy and chemostratigraphy. Thirteen parasequences which belong to four system tracts are recognized. According to their genetic facies features,three growth strategies of reef accrete from the systems tracts during sea level changes are distinguished as keep-up reefs, give-up reefs and catch-up reefs. In combination with an absolute water depth analysis by chemostratigraphic method, we establish an entire sea level curve of the third-order sequence and discuss its evolution and depositional response.

Global-Scale Diversity and Distribution Characteristics of Reef-Associated Symbiodiniaceae via the Cluster-Based Parsimony of Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 Sequences

Photosynthetic species belonging to Symbiodiniaceae play important ecological roles in coral reef ecosystems. Nine phylogenetically supported Symbiodiniaceae clades(each containing multiple genetically distinct molecular types) have been detected in reef-associated animals and in seawater or sediments near coral reef areas. Although major advances in research on Symbiodiniaceae diversity have been made, information on the global-scale diversity and distribution characteristics of Symbiodiniaceae clades/types is still limited or must be expanded because most studies on Symbiodiniaceae have mainly focused on a limited number of hosts associated with Symbiodiniaceae or coral reef areas. Here, the diversity and distribution characteristics of Symbiodiniaceae data derived from reef-associated animals and seawater or sediments near coral reef areas were analyzed using 3899 qualified Symbiodiniaceae internal transcribed spacer 2(ITS2) sequences retrieved from the GenBank database in May 2017. These sequences were annotated as Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 types via sequence alignment against database of Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 types. Results showed that photosynthetic Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 sequences could be annotated as 119 Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 types within nine clades(A–I), and Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 types mainly inhabited coral reefs between 30?N and 30?S. Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 types could be associated with multiple host taxa. Interestingly, these results implied that the distribution of Symbiodiniaceae ITS2 types was distinct in the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Although future field research should be performed to verify our results, this study provided a broad perspective of the diversity of Symbiodiniaceae clades/types on a global scale.

Reef Check方法在三亚珊瑚礁区域的应用结果分析

在介绍Reef Check调查方法的基础上，首次在中国运用Reef Check方法对海南省三亚大东海区域的珊瑚礁进行了调查，并分析其珊瑚礁生物群落的基本结构、珊瑚礁地质类型及分布等方面的状况以及所反映的区域性生境特征，指出了Reef Check调查方法的良好应用性。

A study of coral reef resilience and implications of adaptive management and rehabilitation in Khanh Hoa Province,Vietnam

The Province of Khanh Hoa, Vietnam, is located in the western South China Sea and boasts a shoreline of 385 km and many islands. Previous studies have indicated the extreme diversity and abundance of coral reefs in its waters as compared with other coastal provinces of Vietnam. A study on the resilience of coral reefs against increased surface water temperature and anthropogenic impact is conducted at 19 reef sites in 2015. At each site, a series of parameters(e.g., coral covers, genus diversity, and coral recruitment, substratum heterogeneity, depth, water exchange level, and sediment deposit and water temperature) are measured quantitatively or semi-quantitatively.The measured data are rated based on the relationship between the parameter values and coral susceptibility; the consideration that reef health reflects the biological capability to adapt to environmental changes and the recruitment potential if bleached; and positive or negative influences of physical factors in the mitigation of thermal stress and protecting corals from bleaching. A cumulative analysis enables researchers to divide the studied reefs into four categories based on varying levels of reef health to support resilience, recovery, and vulnerability in the case of increased water temperature. Relevant management interventions for each category and other supporting activities are suggested to enhance management effectiveness and to plan the rehabilitation of coral reefs for biodiversity conservation and touristic development, taking into account the involvement of related stakeholders.

Study on the Set-up and Set-down Induced by Breaking Waves Over A Reef

This paper proposes an equation to calculate breaking wave induced wave set-up and set-down along reef flat. The mathematical equation was derived based on the theory of radiation stress and the conservation of wave energy. The equation is primarily determined by several physical variables including the breaking wave index, the stable wave index, the attenuation coefficient of wave energy flux, and the flow velocity in the re-stabilization zone. A series of laboratory experiments were carried out to calibrate the theoretical equations. Specifically, the breaking wave index,the stable wave index, and the velocity over the reef flat were measured in the laboratory. The attenuation coefficient of wave energy flux in our theoretical equation was determined by calibration by comparing with the laboratory measured wave height. Furthermore, it has been put forward that the velocity based on cnoidal wave theory could be used to determine the velocity over the reef flat if there is no velocity measurement available. Overall, the proposed equation can provide satisfactory prediction of wave set-up and set-down along the reef flat.

Non-hydrostatic modelling of regular wave transformation and current circulation in an idealized reef-lagoon-channel system

The wave-induced setup and circulation in a two dimensional horizontal(2DH)reef-lagoon-channel system is investigated by a non-hydrostatic model.The simulated results agree well with observations from the laboratory experiments,revealing that the model is valid in simulating wave transformation and currents over reefs.The effects of incident wave height,period,and reef flat water depth on the mean sea level and wave-driven currents are examined.Results show that the distributions of mean sea level and current velocities on the reef flat adjacent to the channel vary significantly from those in the area close to the side walls.From the wave averaged current field,an obvious alongshore flux flowing from the reef flat to the channel is captured.The flux from the reef flat composes the second source of the offshore rip current,while the first source is from the lagoon.A detailed momentum balance analysis shows that the alongshore current is mainly induced by the pressure gradient between the reef flat and the channel.In the lagoon,the momentum balances are between the pressure and radiation stress gradient,which drives flow towards the channel.Along the channel,the offshore current is mainly driven by the pressure gradient.

基于Reef Check调查的涠洲岛珊瑚礁生态状况评价

采用Reef Check(珊瑚礁健康调查法)和珊瑚礁生态系统健康指标因素分析法,对广西北海涠洲岛珊瑚礁健康状况进行评价。Reef Check调查从2001―2012年共进行了11 a,调查区为涠洲岛的竹蔗簝、公山、牛背坑3个地点,调查项目包括鱼类、无脊椎动物、珊瑚礁底质。调查结果表明:涠洲岛周边不同区域的珊瑚礁生态状况有较大差异,在竹蔗簝和牛背坑调查区的珊瑚礁覆盖率较为稳定;而在公山调查区,则发现珊瑚在2002年间出现了大面积死亡的情况,至今尚未恢复。利用珊瑚礁生态系统健康指标因素分析法对涠洲岛珊瑚礁健康状况进行评价,结果表明:竹蔗簝和牛背坑的珊瑚礁健康状态相似,都属于一般,其中牛背坑略好,而公山的珊瑚礁健康状态较差。

Paleogene and Early Neogene Lacustrine Reefs in the Western Qaidam Basin, China

Typical reefs in the Paleogene and early Neogene strata of the Qaidam Basin, Tibetan Plateau, China, reveal their internal structures and sedimentation environments and consist mainly of algal reef, stromatolite reef and thrombolite reef with distinct reef structures, fore-reef, back-reef and reef-plateau. The fore-reef is characterized by a combination of pinnacle reef, thrombolite and algal reef. The back reef is composed of stromatolite reef and algal reef. The pinnacle reefs (micro-atoll), most of which are several tens of centimeters in diameter (whereas some exceptionally big ones are over 200 cm in diameter), and several tens of centimeter to 2 m in height, are situated on the far front-edge of the reef; the pinnacle reef is also often of recumbent form with a gravel-filled circular hole in the center. The algal reef is in the form of dome and irregular beds, and filled with algal detritus, ostracodes, spirorbis fossils, ooid and terrigenous debris, and worm traces; cavities and scour marks are often developed. The algal reef is gray commonly when fresh and weathers to a brown color. The lacustrine thrombolite in the Qaidam Basin is light gray or deep gray when fresh, white-gray or brown when weathered, dense and homogeneous with abundant pores filled by oil and bitumen. Observed under the microscope, the thrombolite consists mainly of brown or brown-black clots with a little algal debris, ooid, pellet, ostracodes, spirorbis fossils and terrigenous debris, in some cases, terrigenous debris, even gravel, is abundant. Many features of the thrombolite suggest that it is formed in a high-energy envkonment. The stromatolite reefs developed on the lacustrine algal reef in the Qaidam Basin are very complex whether in shape or in internal structure. The simplest ones form laminated layers and the most complex ones have intensely branching structures. The size is also variable.