The Role of Internal Tides in Supplying Nutrients to Coral Reefs
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Date
2023-11-13
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University Of Southampton
Abstract
Coral reefs, vital yet vulnerable ecosystems, hinge significantly on various ecological and
oceanographic processes, among which the role of internal tides in nutrient upwelling is
paramount. This research delineates a pioneering exploration into the complex dynamics of
internal tides and their resulting impact on nutrient transport to global coral reef ecosystems,
bridging a notable gap in worldwide exploration and understanding of this phenomenon.
Employing comprehensive global climatology and bathymetric datasets, a novel approach to
mapping internal tide-induced nutrient transport to coral reefs is presented. The study
emphasises the essential interplay between ocean topography and internal tides in
influencing kinetic energy distribution and consequent upwelling of nutrients. Of the 11
globally dispersed locations investigated, the Coral Triangle emerged as particularly
noteworthy, revealing substantial nutrient uplift potential with vertical displacement (σZ)
values of 512.57 m for M2, 267.61 m for S2, and 113.31 m for K1, and a mean nutrient depth
at 200 m, indicative of consistent access to deep-seated nutrients. In stark contrast, regions
such as French Polynesia exhibited a dissonance between nutrient mean depths (250.00 m)
and σZ values (33.64 m for M2, 3.6 m for S2, and 1.18 m for K1), implying limited nutrient
access via internal tides. Such heterogeneity in internal tide and nutrient interactions across
various locations, from the nutrient-rich Coral Triangle to the less accessible French
Polynesia, illuminates the multifaceted relationships between internal tides and coral reef
nutrient dynamics. This research, as a maiden voyage into the global mapping of internal-
mediated nutrient transport to coral reefs, underscores the ecosystem for nuanced, location-
specific examinations and lays a foundational framework for future research, potentially
steering sustainable marine conservation strategies amidst the tide escalating challenges of
climate change and anthropogenic impacts.
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Keywords
Internal tides, Coral Reefs, Tides, Nutrients, upwelling, Nutrients dynamics, Global map, Internal-tide map, kinetic energy, ocean topography and internal tides, Coral Triangle, vertical displacement, sustainable marine, climate change, global mapping of internal- mediated nutrient transport to coral reefs