Coral Health Surveys During Successive Marine Heatwaves at Lord Howe Island

Surveys from March 2010 to September 2012 quantified the response of approximately 42,000 coral colonies to successive thermal bleaching events. The dataset, published in a 2020 study, documents coral health, mortality, and benthic community composition shifts before, during, and after the events. It was collected by researchers including Steven J. Dalton and contributed by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling bleaching severity and mortality rates using coral taxa classifications like Pocillopora and Acropora against thermal anomaly timing.
• Analyzing temporal changes in benthic community composition, such as coral-to-macroalgae cover shifts, across survey dates from 2010 to 2012.
• Assessing coral recovery metrics, including pigmentation and color return in surviving colonies, between bleaching events.
• Correlating site-specific bleaching percentages, ranging from 99% in shallow lagoons to 17% on reef slopes, with environmental data like El Niño/La Niña phases.

Strengths

• Approximately 42,000 coral colonies were surveyed, providing a substantial sample for analysis.
• Data collection spans a critical 2.5-year period covering two successive bleaching events and recovery phases.
• Includes detailed taxonomic resolution, identifying most-affected species like Pocillopora, Stylophora, Porites, and Montipora.

Limitations

• The dataset is geographically limited to coral reef assemblages around Lord Howe Island, a high-latitude site.
• Specific row counts, column names, and data formats are not detailed in the available metadata.
• The temporal coverage is a historical snapshot (2010-2012) and may not reflect current reef conditions.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, originating from research published in Science of The Total Environment (2020).

Collection Method

Coral health surveys conducted in the field, quantifying bleaching, mortality, and benthic community composition.

Time Range

March 2010 to September 2012

Freshness

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Geography

Coral reef assemblages around Lord Howe Island, a World Heritage site.