Land-Sea Interactions

Reefal development in Tobago is heavily influenced by local (e.g. river and sewage inputs) and regional (e.g. the Orinoco and Amazon rivers) runoff events. Runoff includes sediment, nutrient and freshwater inputs which influence marine water quality and near shore marine communities. This project looks at how this runoff influences reef health (e.g. disease, bleaching and functional resilience), coral reef communities, trophic pathways and reefal carbonate production.

Objectives include:

• Assessing the effects of runoff for carbonate accreting processes

• Assessing the effects of runoff on bioeroding (reef eroding) processes

• Using novel techniques such as stable isotopes to assess trophic pathways on disturbed reefs.

A series of twelve permanent monitoring sites have been established around Tobago. These sites are routinely being monitored by the research team for: water quality, reef communities (e.g. fish and habitat surveys), bleaching and disease.

This research is supported by the IWCAM project. and the University of the West Indies.