PHYSICAL PROCESSES AND SEDIMENT FLUX THROUGH REEF-LAGOON SYSTEMS

Annual sediment primary production and respiration in a large coral reef lagoon (SW New Caledonia)

Sediment photosynthetic production and community respiration were investigated for 1 yr in the south-west lagoon of New Caledonia (surface area: 2000 km'; mean depth: 21 m). Metabolic fluxes were measuredbat the water-sediment interface using benthic enclosures, at 60 sampling stations randomly distributed in space and time. Mean gross primary production (Pg) was 12.06 mol C m-' yr-l. Mean resp...

Detrital pathways in a coral reef lagoon

Coral reef lagoons are generally regarded as zones of net heterotrophy reliant on organic detritus generated in more productive parts of the reef system, such as the seaward reef flat. The abundance and biomass of sediment infauna were measured seasonally for one year (1986) within the lagoon of Davies Reef, central Great Barrier Reef, to test the hypothesis that macrofaunal biomass and product...

Sediment flux and the Anthropocene.

Data and computer simulations are reviewed to help better define the timing and magnitude of human influence on sediment flux--the Anthropocene epoch. Impacts on the Earth surface processes are not spatially or temporally homogeneous. Human influences on this sediment flux have a secondary effect on floodplain and delta-plain functions and sediment dispersal into the coastal ocean. Human impact...

An examination of the ability of coral geochemical records to reconstruct suspended sediment loads to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon

Using a Near-Bed Sediment Flux Sensor to Measure Wave Formed Bedform Migrations and Formation Processes

My research program focuses on identifying and quantifying sediment erosion, transport, and deposition processes on the continental shelf through state of the art observational techniques in both fine grained and sandy environments. In sandy environments, my goal is to understand the detailed interactions and feedbacks between hydrodynamics, bedforms, and the resulting sand transport. In fine-g...