Tropical Reef Islands: Sediments, Ecology, Hydrodynamics and Resource Management
Tropical reef island environments appear acutely vulnerable to anticipated sea-level rise, climate shifts, and changes in the patterns and intensity of coastal resource use. Determining how islands have formed, are nourished, and whether they are continuing to accumulate sediment is essential for their sustainable management.
Accordingly, one of our research clusters is focussed on the complex relationships that exist between reef ecology, carbonate production, and carbonate and sediment sinks (Hart and Woodroffe). Progress to date includes the improvement of census-based approaches to determining carbonate budgets, research into the hydraulic nature of carbonate sediments, and improving techniques for determining reef island accumulation sequences. This work is ongoing in conjunction with Australian collaborators.
In addition, graduate students are researching sustainable options for the management of resources in tropical reef, mangrove and marine protected area (MPA) environments in Indonesia and the Maldives (Idrus and Mohamed, with Hart and Pawson), and links between regional climate phenomena and the vulnerability of Maldivian atolls to coastal, meteorological and water-resource hazards (Zahid with Sturman, Zawar-reza and Hart).
Staff involved
- Dr Deirdre Hart
- Dr Eric Pawson
- Dr Andy Sturman
- Dr Peyman Zawar-Reza
- Dr Colin Woodroffe (University of Wollongong)
- Dr Paul Kench (University of Auckland)
- Rijal Idrus (UC PhD Candidate)
- Zahid (UC PhD Candidate)
- Mizna Mohamed (PhD candidate)
Selected publications and theses:
- Brander, RW; Kench, PS and Hart, DE (2004) Spatial and temporal variations in wave characteristics across a reef platform, Warraber Island, Torres Strait, Australia. Marine Geology 207(4): 169-184.
- Hart, DE and Kench, PS (2007) Carbonate production of an emergent reef platform, Warraber Island , Torres Strait , Australia . Coral Reefs 26:53-68.
- Hart, DE (2000) Review of existing sea-level change studies. In: Harvey N, Hart DE, James C. Preliminary investigations of sea-level change and coastal management in Oceania. Environment Australia , pp5-46.
- Hart, DE (2003) The importance of sea-level in an inter-tidal reef platform system, Warraber Island , Torres Strait . Proceedings 22nd New Zealand Geographical Society Conference , pp77-81.
- Hart, DE (2005) Warraber Island Erosion Assessment. Torres Strait Regional Authority, Island Coordinating Council and Warraber Island Community Council. 60pp.
- Woodroffe, CD; Samosorn, B; Hua, Q and Hart, DE (2007) Incremental accretion of a sandy reef island over the past 3000 years indicated by component-specific radiocarbon dating. Geophysical Research Letters 34, L03602, doi:10.1029/2006GL028875, 2007.