Lagoon Sediment Transport at One Tree Reef

Observations at One Tree Reef indicate lagoon currents are insufficient to entrain sediments, challenging assumptions about sediment transport in reef systems. The study examines the roles of bioturbation, high-energy events, and local patch reefs in sediment movement and sorting. This research was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network, with metadata last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze relationships between modal wind/wave/tide conditions and observed lagoon current velocities to model sediment entrainment thresholds.
• Correlate sediment grain size measurements with distance from windward reef margins to quantify leeward sediment sorting patterns.
• Model the impact of low-frequency, high-energy events on southeast to northwest water movement and associated sediment volume transport.
• Assess the contribution of patch reefs to local sediment size and leeward material buildup using field observation data.

Strengths

• Findings are directly applicable to other reefs with well-developed lagoons in the southern Great Barrier Reef.
• Analysis is based on direct observations of water movement under specific environmental conditions.

Limitations

• The dataset is described in PDF/HTML formats, lacking structured, machine-readable tabular data for direct analysis.
• Specific sample sizes, measurement locations, and temporal resolution of observations are not provided in the metadata.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single reef (One Tree Reef), limiting generalizability without further study.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field observations of water movement and sediment characteristics under modal wind, wave, and tide conditions.

Freshness

Metadata record was last updated in April 2026.

Geography

One Tree Reef, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia