Environmental Correlates of Hermatypic Coral (Montastrea annularis) Growth on the East Flower Gardens Bank, Northwest Gulf of Mexico

Authors

Richard E. Dodge, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Judith C. Lang, University of Texas - Austin

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Limnology and Oceanography

ISSN

0024-3590

Publication Date

1983

Keywords

Coral reefs, Gulf of Mexico, Montastrea annularis

Abstract

Time series of annual linear growth increments from 12 Montastrea annularis (E. and S.) collected at the East Flower Gardens Bank reef in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico have a common pattern. This is best expressed in an index master chronology (average by year of the annual percentage deviations from the mean of each coral.)

Comparisons with time series of environmental data indicate that coral extension rates vary positively with seasonal (February through May - 4 months) surface water temperature and negatively with annual discharge of the Atchafalaya River. We propose that secular variations of water temperature and other parameters are the major long term controls of coral growth in the area. Our data do not support the view that sinking of the Flower Gardens reef, caused by catastrophic collapse of the underlying substrate, has been a prime influence on the corals.

DOI

10.4319/lo.1983.28.2.0228

Volume

28

Issue

2

First Page

228

Last Page

240

Comments

©1983, by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.

Additional Comments

US EPA grant #: CR07314010; NOAA grant #: NA 80 RAD 00045

NSUWorks Citation

Dodge, Richard E. and Judith C. Lang. 1983. "Environmental Correlates of Flower Gardens Coral Growth - Northwestern Gulf of Mexico" Limnology & Oceanography no 28: 228-240.