Recurrent coral bleaching in north-western Australia and associated declines in coral cover

19Citations
Citations of this article
89Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Coral reefs have been heavily affected by elevated sea-surface temperature (SST) and coral bleaching since the late 1980s; however, until recently coastal reefs of north-western Australia have been relatively unaffected compared to Timor Sea and eastern Australian reefs. We compare SST time series with changes in coral cover spanning a period of up to 36 years to describe temporal and spatial variability in bleaching and associated coral mortality throughout the Pilbara-Ningaloo region. Declines in coral cover ranged from 12.5 to 51.3%, with relative declines ranging from 38 to 92%. Since 2013, coral cover throughout the region has declined to historically low levels at four of five subregions, with impaired recovery occurring at two subregions. Observations are consistent with global trends of repeated severe heat waves, coral bleaching and acute declines in coral cover. Locations within this study region have already experienced multiple coral-bleaching events within a period of less than 5 years. There is a high likelihood that reefs in the western Pilbara and northern Ningaloo regions will experience more frequent marine heatwaves, coral bleaching and mortality events in the future. Action, therefore, needs to be taken now to support the resilience of coral reef ecosystems in the region, which is arguably the most important coral-reef province on Australia's western coast.

References Powered by Scopus

Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems

5707Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification.

4466Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Climate change, coral bleaching and the future of the world's coral reefs

2901Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Extreme heatwave drives topography-dependent patterns of mortality in a bed-forming intertidal barnacle, with implications for associated community structure

21Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Spatial patchiness in change, recruitment, and recovery on coral reefs at Lizard Island following consecutive bleaching events

17Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Distinct coral reef habitat communities characterized by environmental DNA metabarcoding

11Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Babcock, R. C., Thomson, D. P., Haywood, M. D. E., Vanderklift, M. A., Pillans, R., Rochester, W. A., … Depczynski, M. (2021). Recurrent coral bleaching in north-western Australia and associated declines in coral cover. Marine and Freshwater Research, 72(5), 620–632. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF19378

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 25

71%

Researcher 6

17%

Professor / Associate Prof. 2

6%

Lecturer / Post doc 2

6%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Environmental Science 17

40%

Agricultural and Biological Sciences 16

38%

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Bi... 5

12%

Earth and Planetary Sciences 4

10%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free