David A. Koweek

Frictional wave dissipation on a remarkably rough reef

We present a week of observations of wave dissipation on the south forereef of Palmyra Atoll. Using wave measurements made in 6.2 m and 11.2 m of water offshore of the surf zone, we computed energy fluxes and near-bottom velocity. Equating the divergence of the shoreward energy flux to its dissipation by bottom friction and parameterizating dissipation in terms of the root-mean-square velocity cubed, we find that the wave friction factor, fw, for this reef is 1.80 ± 0.07, nearly an order of magnitude larger than values previously found for reefs. We attribute this remarkably high value of fw to the complex canopy structure of the reef, which we believe may be characteristic of healthy reefs. This suggests that healthy reefs with high coral cover may provide greater coastal protection than do degraded reefs with low coral cover.

Wave dynamics of a Pacific Atoll with high frictional effects

We report field measurements of waves and currents made from September 2011 to July 2014 on Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific that were used in conjunction with the SWAN wave model to characterize the wave dynamics operant on the atoll. Our results indicate that wave energy is primarily from the north during the northern hemisphere winter and from the south in the northern hemisphere summer. Refraction of waves along the reef terraces due to variations in bathymetry leads to focusing of waves in specific locations. Bottom friction, modeled with a modified bottom roughness formulation, is the significant source of wave energy dissipation on the atoll, a result that is consistent with available observations of wave damping on Palmyra. Indeed modeled wave dissipation rates from bottom friction are on average larger than dissipation rates due to breaking and are an order of magnitude larger than what has been observed on other, less geometrically complex reefs, a result which should be corroborated with future in situ measurements. The SWAN wave model with a modified bottom friction formulation better predicts bulk wave energy properties than the existing formulation at our measurement stations. The near bed squared velocity, a proxy for bottom stress, shows strong spatial variability across the atoll and exerts control over geomorphic structure and benthic community composition.

Carbon dioxide addition to coral reef waters suppresses net community calcification

Coral reefs feed millions of people worldwide, provide coastal protection and generate billions of dollars annually in tourism revenue. The underlying architecture of a reef is a biogenic carbonate structure that accretes over many years of active biomineralization by calcifying organisms, including corals and algae. Ocean acidification poses a chronic threat to coral reefs by reducing the saturation state of the aragonite mineral of which coral skeletons are primarily composed, and lowering the concentration of carbonate ions required to maintain the carbonate reef. Reduced calcification, coupled with increased bioerosion and dissolution, may drive reefs into a state of net loss this century. Our ability to predict changes in ecosystem function and associated services ultimately hinges on our understanding of community- and ecosystem-scale responses. Past research has primarily focused on the responses of individual species rather than evaluating more complex, community-level responses. Here we use an in situ carbon dioxide enrichment experiment to quantify the net calcification response of a coral reef flat to acidification. We present an estimate of community-scale calcification sensitivity to ocean acidification that is, to our knowledge, the first to be based on a controlled experiment in the natural environment. This estimate provides evidence that near-future reductions in the aragonite saturation state will compromise the ecosystem function of coral reefs.

Field observations of wave‐driven circulation over spur and groove formations on a coral reef

Spur and groove (SAG) formations are found on the forereefs of many coral reefs worldwide. Modeling results have shown that SAG formations together with shoaling waves induce a nearshore Lagrangian circulation pattern of counter-rotating circulation cells, but these have never been observed in the field. We present results from two separate field studies of SAG formations on Palmyra Atoll which show their effect on waves to be small, but reveal a persistent order 1 cm/s depth-averaged Lagrangian offshore flow over the spur and onshore flow over the grooves. This circulation was stronger for larger, directly incident waves and low alongshore flow conditions, consistent with predictions from modeling. Favorable forcing conditions must be maintained on the order of 1 h to accelerate and develop the SAG circulation cells. The primary cross and alongshore depth-averaged momentum balances were between the pressure gradient, radiation stress gradient, and nonlinear convective terms, and the bottom drag was similar to values found on other reefs. The vertical structure of these circulation cells was previously unknown and the results show a complex horizontal offshore Lagrangian flow over the spurs near the surface driven by alongshore variability in radiation stress gradients. Vertical flow was downward over the spur and upward over the groove, likely driven by alongshore differences in bottom stress and not by vortex forcing.

Net community production and carbon export during the late summer in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

The phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea is the largest in spatial extent and one of the most productive in Antarctica, yet the fate of the summer bloom remains poorly understood. Here we present carbon system data from the first biogeochemical process cruise to be conducted in both the western and central Ross Sea during late summer (February–March 2013). Using one-dimensional carbon budgets, we found evidence for substantial positive net community production (425 ± 204 mmol C m−2 d−1) during the late summer in Terra Nova Bay (TNB) of the western Ross Sea, which was rapidly exported to below 200 m. In addition, seasonally integrated carbon export was higher in diatom-dominated TNB (7.3 ± 0.9 mol C m−2) compared to the Phaeocystis antarctica-dominated central Ross Sea (3.4 ± 0.8 mol C m−2). Substantial late summer productivity and export may be a widespread phenomenon in Antarctic coastal regions that is not accounted for in regional carbon models.

Bubble Stripping as a Tool To Reduce High Dissolved CO2 in Coastal Marine Ecosystems

High dissolved CO2 concentrations in coastal ecosystems are a common occurrence due to a combination of large ecosystem metabolism, shallow water, and long residence times. Many important coastal species may have adapted to this natural variability over time, but eutrophication and ocean acidification may be perturbing the water chemistry beyond the bounds of tolerance for these organisms. We are currently limited in our ability to deal with the geochemical changes unfolding in our coastal ocean. This study helps to address this deficit of solutions by introducing bubble stripping as a novel geochemical engineering approach to reducing high CO2 in coastal marine ecosystems. We use a process-based model to find that air/sea gas exchange rates within a bubbled system are 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than within a nonbubbled system. By coupling bubbling-enhanced ventilation to a coastal ecosystem metabolism model, we demonstrate that strategically timed bubble plumes can mitigate exposure to high CO2 under present-day conditions and that exposure mitigation is enhanced in the more acidic conditions predicted by the end of the century. We argue that shallow water CO2 bubble stripping should be considered among the growing list of engineering approaches intended to increase coastal resilience in a changing ocean.

Taking the metabolic pulse of the world's coral reefs

Worldwide, coral reef ecosystems are experiencing increasing pressure from a variety of anthropogenic perturbations including ocean warming and acidification, increased sedimentation, eutrophication, and overfishing, which could shift reefs to a condition of net calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dissolution and erosion. Herein, we determine the net calcification potential and the relative balance of net organic carbon metabolism (net community production; NCP) and net inorganic carbon metabolism (net community calcification; NCC) within 23 coral reef locations across the globe. In light of these results, we consider the suitability of using these two metrics developed from total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) measurements collected on different spatiotemporal scales to monitor coral reef biogeochemistry under anthropogenic change. All reefs in this study were net calcifying for the majority of observations as inferred from alkalinity depletion relative to offshore, although occasional observations of net dissolution occurred at most locations. However, reefs with lower net calcification potential (i.e., lower TA depletion) could shift towards net dissolution sooner than reefs with a higher potential. The percent influence of organic carbon fluxes on total changes in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) (i.e., NCP compared to the sum of NCP and NCC) ranged from 32% to 88% and reflected inherent biogeochemical differences between reefs. Reefs with the largest relative percentage of NCP experienced the largest variability in seawater pH for a given change in DIC, which is directly related to the reefs ability to elevate or suppress local pH relative to the open ocean. This work highlights the value of measuring coral reef carbonate chemistry when evaluating their susceptibility to ongoing global environmental change and offers a baseline from which to guide future conservation efforts aimed at preserving these valuable ecosystems.