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Description:
Title:
Ocean currents magnify upwelling and deliver nutritional subsidies to reef-building corals during El Niño heatwaves
Author(s):
Fox, Michael D.
Guillaume-Castel, Robin
Edwards, Clinton B.
Glanz, J.
Gove, Jamison M.
Green, J. A. Mattias
Juhlin, E.
Smith, Jennifer E.
Williams, Gareth J.
Dates of Publication:
2023
Abstract:
Marine heatwaves are triggering coral bleaching events and devastating coral populations globally, highlighting the need to identify processes promoting coral survival. Here, we show that acceleration of a major ocean current and shallowing of the surface mixed layer enhanced localized upwelling on a central Pacific coral reef during the three strongest El Niño–associated marine heatwaves of the past half century. These conditions mitigated regional declines in primary production and bolstered local supply of nutritional resources to corals during a bleaching event. The reefs subsequently suffered limited post-bleaching coral mortality. Our results reveal how large-scale ocean-climate interactions affect reef ecosystems thousands of kilometers away and provide a valuable framework for identifying reefs that may benefit from such biophysical linkages during future bleaching events.
Keywords:
Multidisciplinary
Local Corporate Name:
NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service)
CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System)
PIFSC (Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center)
Format:
PDF
Type of Resource:
Journal Article
Note:
Marine heatwaves are triggering coral bleaching events and devastating coral populations globally, highlighting the need to identify processes promoting coral survival. Here, we show that acceleration of a major ocean current and shallowing of the surface mixed layer enhanced localized upwelling on a central Pacific coral reef during the three strongest El Niño–associated marine heatwaves of the past half century. These conditions mitigated regional declines in primary production and bolstered local supply of nutritional resources to corals during a bleaching event. The reefs subsequently suffered limited post-bleaching coral mortality. Our results reveal how large-scale ocean-climate interactions affect reef ecosystems thousands of kilometers away and provide a valuable framework for identifying reefs that may benefit from such biophysical linkages during future bleaching events.
URL:
DOI:
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