Habitat engineering by decadal-scale bioturbation around shipwrecks on the Great Barrier Reef mid-shelf

Broadcast Spawning by Pocillopora Species on the Great Barrier Reef

The coral genus Pocillopora is one of the few to include some species that broadcast spawn gametes and some species that brood larvae, although reports of reproductive mode and timing vary within and among species across their range. Notably, the ubiquitous Pocillopora damicornis has been described as both a brooder and spawner, although evidence of broadcast spawning is rare. Here, we report o...

Cyclone pumping, sediment partitioning and the development of the Great Barrier Reef shelf system: a review

The modern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is part of the world’s largest and best known mixed terrigenous-carbonate continental margin. The GBR shelf contains three shore-parallel sedimentary belts: an inner shelf zone of terrigenous sedimentation at depths of 0–22m; a middle shelf zone of sediment starvation at depths of 22–40m; and an outer shelf reef tract with its inner edge at ca. 40m depth. The...

The Threats of Coastal Development on the Great Barrier Reef

GREAT NEWS FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF: TULLY RIVER WATER QUALITY by Robert M. Carter GREAT NEWS FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF: TULLY RIVER WATER QUALITY

A prerequisite for meaningful environmental legislation is that it be based upon an adequate scientific understanding of the natural system to which it is applied. In 2003, the Australian Commonwealth and Queensland State governments introduced a Reef Water Quality Protection Plan, which aimed to “improve” water quality in river catchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and in nearby ...

Impacts of tropical cyclone Yasi on the Great Barrier Reef