Real-time and long-term monitoring of waves and suspended sediment concentrations over an intertidal algal reef
Open Access
- 28 September 2022
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
- Vol. 194 (11), 1-18
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10491-0
Abstract
Suspended sediment concentration (c) has been considered a critical environmental factor in reef habitats; however, the values and variations of c are not evident in a unique reef mainly created by crustose coralline algal concretions compared to abundant studies in coral reefs. The results of real-time and long-term monitoring of waves and c over the intertidal algal reef are reported because of the construction of an offshore industrial harbor near the reef. The real-time monitoring systems were based on techniques, including optical backscatter sensors (OBSs) for measuring c, pressure sensors for measuring waves, data loggers, and wireless networks for data transmission. The instruments sampled every hour and ran continuously and automatically for years. The OBS measurement was compared and validated with biweekly water sampling. A good correlation between the results of the two methods was observed. Nevertheless, more calibrations of OBSs in different seasons reduced the variance between the two methods over a year-long timescale. The year-long data showed a remarkable seasonal variation in c. The average c was approximately 140 mg/l during the winter season, while it was only approximately 70 mg/l during the summer season. The observed c was higher than that in other coral reef environments; the elevated and highly variable c, ranging from approximately 0 to 500 mg/l, may be one factor that creates the unique algae reef environment. The year-long measurement of waves and c showed that the variation in c was mainly due to the variation in waves in different seasons and was well correlated with the wave-induced bed shear stress. The real-time and long-term data measured by the system will aid in better understanding and providing useful environmental data for accessing future environmental changes and protecting reef habitats.Keywords
Funding Information
- Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST108‐2611‐M‐008‐002)
This publication has 60 references indexed in Scilit:
- Ecological Consequences of Sediment on High-Energy Coral ReefsPLOS ONE, 2013
- An observational study of the carrying capacity of suspended sediment during a storm eventEnvironmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2011
- Observations of suspended sediment from ADCP and OBS measurements in a mud-dominated environmentCoastal Engineering, 2005
- Tidally-induced clouds of suspended sediment connected to shallow-water coral reefsMarine Geology, 2004
- Spatial and temporal variations in wave characteristics across a reef platform, Warraber Island, Torres Strait, AustraliaMarine Geology, 2004
- Wave friction factor as related to the Shields parameter for steady currentsSedimentary Geology, 2003
- Variability of suspended-sediment concentration at tidal to annual time scales in San Francisco Bay, USAContinental Shelf Research, 2002
- The hydrodynamic and sedimentary setting of nearshore coral reefs, central Great Barrier Reef shelf, Australia: Paluma Shoals, a case studySedimentology, 2001
- Waves and currents over a fixed rippled bed: 3. Bottom and apparent roughness for spectral waves and currentsPublished by American Geophysical Union (AGU) ,1999
- Suspended sand measurements in a turbulent environment: field comparison of optical and pump sampling techniquesCoastal Engineering, 1994