Environmental controls on growth of massive Porites corals from the Great Barrier Reef

• Other Authors: Australian Institute of Marine Science (isOwnedBy)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: data.gov.au
• Subjects: Atmosphere; Atmospheric Radiation; Biological Classification; Calcification; Coastal Processes; Coral Deposits; Coral Reefs; Densitometry; Density banding; Environmental gradient; Incoming Solar Radiation; Ocean Temperature; Oceans; Paleoclimate; Porites australiensis; Porites lobata; Porites lutea; Porites mayeri; Porites solida; Sea Surface Temperature; Skeleton; Austral; Percy; Hope Island; Flinders; Rocky Island; Cape Melville; Double Island; Hope island
• Online Access: https://researchdata.edu.au/environmental-controls-growth-barrier-reef/1920678; http://data.gov.au/dataset/7b61c709-3360-4208-90ae-b2db19492cb8

Massive Porites colonies were collected from 29 reefs, located along the length and across the width of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) between November 1987 and May 1992. The reefs were located within the following regions: Northern GBR (Lagoon Reef, Eel Reef, Portland Roads, Rocky Island, Night Island, Reef No. 13-055 and Reef No. 13-050); Cairns to Cape Melville (Tydeman Reef, Pipon Island, Flinders Island, Watson Island, South Petherbridge Island, Two Isles, Boulder Reef, East Hope Island, Undine Reef, Snapper Island, Batt Reef, and Double Island); Mission Beach (Stephens Island and Bedarra Island); Central GBR (Myrmidon Reef, Rib Reef and Pandora Reef); Southern GBR (Shaw Island, Reef No. 20-200, Credlin Reef, Reef No. 21-141 and Middle Percy Island). All colonies were between 0.2 and 0.5 m in height and were selected from similar environments towards the rear of the windward reef flat and on sheltered parts of fringing reefs in the lee of the islands at depths between 3 and 5 m relative to mean low water spring tide levels. Between six and 15 colonies were collected from each site. Of the 307 colonies collected, 245 were found suitable for analysis of growth characteristics. The species of coral colonies analysed were: Porites lutea, Porites lobata, Porites australensis, Porites solida and Porites mayeri.Colonies were cut in half vertically and at least 2 slices, approximately 7mm thick, were cut from the centre of each colony, dried and X-rayed. The positive X-ray prints were used to identify two tracks on each slice with clear annual density bands. Both tracks started near the origin of the colony, with one close to the vertical growth axis and the other horizontal. Skeletal density was measured at 0.25 mm intervals along each track using a gamma densitometer. The slices were dated by assuming that the high density peak closest to the outside edge had formed during the austral summer prior to collection. Each dated year represented the time between successive density peaks.From these measurements, spatial ...