Grooves in forereefs act as transport channels to deliver coral rubble during tropical cyclones
The long-term stability of coral reef islands and associated reef top sedimentary landforms requires the delivery of sediment from the forereef, but the rates and pathways of sediment delivery to these systems remain unclear. Spurs and grooves (SAGs) are ubiquitous geomorphic features fringing coral reefs, characterised by shore-normal coral ridges (spurs) separated by channels (grooves) with either bare substrate or a relatively low sediment infill. SAGs dissipate wave energy, facilitate offshore sediment transport and enhance nutrient exchange. Here we present the first evidence that SAG can also act as channels for onshore transport of rubble during high-energy events, contributing to maintaining reef islands and rubble-based ecosystems.
Authors
- Lachlan Perris (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2235-8671)
- Ana Vila‐Concejo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4069-3094)
- Maria Byrne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8902-9808)
- Tristan Salles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6095-7689)
- Bradley D. Morris (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7001-3865)
- Thomas Fellowes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8220-4581)
- Rachael Holmes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6045-8705)
- H. Breuer
- Eleanor Bruce (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7640-2335)
- Ana Paula da Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8348-5899)
- Kate Whitton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2454-1199)
- Liav Meoded-Stern
- Wan-Yi Steilberg-Liu
Institutions
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Government of South Australia (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cambridge Prisms Coastal Futures
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1017/cft.2025.10019
- Primary Topic
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- UK Research and Innovation
- New South Wales Government