[Coral-List] corals survive in turbid water (Eugene Shinn) Re: Coral-List Digest, Vol 89, Issue 11

[Chowdula Satya narayana]

Dear Professor,

I agree to the fact that impact of light on corals will reduce in turbid waters. But, the survival of 
Siderastrea and Acropora in shaded waters may be a totally a different concept.  I am working with my 
team in a turbid coral reef area in India located in a state called Gujarat.  It is Gulf of Kachchh and 
the first Marine National Park in India.  Siderastrea savignayana in this region is surviving even in 
highly muddy and murky environment and all the Acropora species surviving about 10 thousand years back 
are totally extirpated primarily due to loads of sediment brought into the Gulf by adjacent rivers. 
Gulf of Kachchh MNP is the less diverse coral reef environment in India with hardly about 50 hardy 
species of scleractinians reported so far.  The corals are surviving primarily because of high tidal 
amplitude, which keeps the waters always on the move without allowing the sediment/silt to settle on 
corals.  Due to damming the rivers, now the sediment load has reduced to about one tenth and now we are 
successfully transplanting acropora species from other reef regions with almost similar conditions to 
Kachchh.  Probably this is the first of its kind effort in the world.  We have observed temporary 
bleaching due to seasonal changes.  The corals got their colour back once the cold or hot spell is 
over.  If you are interested, you are welcome to visit this unique environment.  Now we are 
concentrating on reducing the sediment load further along with algal control using some ocean 
engineering interventions.



On Tue, 12 Jan 2016 22:32:06 +0530 coral-list-request at coral.aoml.noaa.gov wrote
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Message: 1

Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2016 13:07:31 -0500

From: Eugene Shinn 

Subject: [Coral-List] corals survive in turbid water

To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov

Message-ID: 

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed



Attached is a paper with an unusual conclusion. It suggests 

transplanting threatened corals to areas of turbidity to protect them 

from sun light. The paper presents good evidence for the proposal. In 

the Keys however, nearshore areas of high turbidity are also prone to 

periodic chilling during sporadic cold fronts. I might add that while 

most of the head corals and all of the Acroporids at Carysfort reef 

located in clear water off the Florida Keys are suffering there is a 

cluster of /Siderasterea siderea/ heads in the shade beneath the 

lighthouse that are growing just fine. I have been photographing them 

once a year for many years. Does this not suggest a place to perform a 

simple experiment? Gene

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi?DOI=10.1111%2Fgcb.13166#.VpPXbbgXj08.email 





-- 





No Rocks, No Water, No Ecosystem (EAS)

------------------------------------ -----------------------------------

E. A. Shinn, Courtesy Professor

University of South Florida

College of Marine Science Room 221A

140 Seventh Avenue South

St. Petersburg, FL 33701



Tel 727 553-1158

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End of Coral-List Digest, Vol 89, Issue 11

******************************************


Dr. Ch. Satyanarayana,
Scientist
(Coral Taxonomist),
Zoological Survey of India,
(II Floor) Fire Proof Spirit Building,
Indian Museum Complex,
27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road,
Kolkata - 700 016.
Cell:9433325559
Phone: 091-033-22861608
       091-033-22521212