RESEARCH PROJECT

Climate change is increasing sediment delivery to Hawaiian coral reefs. However, differences in the source, composition, and ecological impacts of sediments require research to help inform different management strategies. Researchers plan to investigate the impacts of sediment delivery on coral reef ecosystem metabolism to advance the understanding of coral reef resilience to the effects of multiple climate stressors and ecosystem tipping points. The research team will measure how reef metabolism (production and accretion) responds to sediment delivery, from climate-driven increases in terrestrial sediment loading and coastal erosion, and explore the water quality parameters that predict those metabolic responses.

High-resolution sampling from six sites around Maui during clear periods and during sedimentation events will help characterize the full cycle of reef metabolism and predictor covariates (e.g., dissolved nutrients, particulate nutrients, total suspended solids, etc.). The research team also plans to deploy in situ real time sensors to measure turbidity, oxygen, temperature, and salinity. The goal is to characterize two indicators of reef metabolism before and during disturbance events that will be used to determine ecosystem tipping points, including defining threshold ranges for sediment characteristics that should be targeted for coastal and watershed management in the improvement of coral reef health.