Abstract
Observations of surface seawater fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2) and pH were collected over a period of several days at French Frigate Shoals (FFS) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) in order to gain an understanding of the natural spatiotemporal variability of the marine inorganic carbon system in a pristine coral reef ecosystem. These data show clear island-to-open ocean gradients in fCO2 and total alkalinity that can be measured 10–20 km offshore, indicating that metabolic processes influence the CO2–carbonic acid system over large areas of ocean surrounding FFS and by implication the islands and atolls of the NWHI. The magnitude and extent of this spatial gradient may be driven by a combination of physical and biogeochemical processes including reef water residence time, hydrodynamic forcing of currents and tidal flow, and metabolic processes that occur both on the reef and within the lagoon.
Highlights
Coral reefs are one of the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet
Observations of surface seawater fugacity of carbon dioxide and pH were collected over a period of several days at French Frigate Shoals (FFS) in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) in order to gain an understanding of the natural spatiotemporal variability of the marine inorganic carbon system in a pristine coral reef ecosystem
In order to gain a more thorough understanding of the impact of reef metabolism on the surface seawaters surrounding the archipelago, we present pH and fCO2 measurements collected around French Frigate Shoals atoll, located in the Northwestern Hawaiian Island (NWHI) chain, via an underwaysampling system at high temporal and spatial resolution
Summary
Coral reefs are one of the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. Despite covering less than 0.1% of the earth’s surface (Smith 1978; Smith and Mackenzie 2016), the economic value of coral reefs is an estimated 29.8 billion dollars. 655 million people live within 100 km of coral reefs, 91% of whom live in developing nations (Donner and Potere 2007), and many of these people depend directly on reef resources for survival. Disruptions to these critically important ecosystems could have cascading effects for ocean ecology, economic stability and human health. Under the ‘business as usual’’ scenario RCP8.5, average open ocean surface seawater pH is expected to decline 0.33 units by the end of the twenty-first century (Bopp et al 2013), and van Hooidonk et al (2014) suggest that calcification at all reef locations worldwide will decline by 5% by the year 2034
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
