Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Time scales and modes of reef lagoon infilling in the Maldives and controls on the onset of reef island formation

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Perry, C.
    Kench, P.
    Smithers, S.
    Yamano, H.
    O'Leary, Michael
    Gulliver, P.
    Date
    2013
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Perry, C.T. and Kench, P.S. and Smithers, S.G. and Yamano, H. and O'Leary, M. and Gulliver, P. 2013. Time scales and modes of reef lagoon infilling in the Maldives and controls on the onset of reef island formation. Geology. 41 (10): pp. 1111-1114.
    Source Title
    Geology
    DOI
    10.1130/G34690.1
    ISSN
    0091-7613
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/23240
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Faro are annular reefs, with reef flats near sea level and lagoons of variable depth, characteristic of both the perimeter and lagoons of Maldivian (Indian Ocean) atolls. Their geomorphic development remains largely unknown, but where faro lagoons (termed velu in Maldivian) have infilled and support reef islands, these provide precious habitable land. Understanding the timing and modes of velu infilling is thus directly relevant to questions about reef island development and vulnerability. Here we use a chronostratigraphic data set obtained from a range of atoll-interior faro with partially to fully filled velu (including those with reef islands) from Baa (South Maalhosmadulu) Atoll, Maldives, to determine time scales and modes of velu infilling, and to identify the temporal and spatial thresholds that control reef island formation. Our data suggest a systematic relationship between faro size, velu infilling, and island development. These relationships likely vary between atolls as a function of atoll lagoon depth, but in Baa Atoll, our data set indicates the following faro-size relationships exist: (1) faros <~0.5 km2 have velu that were completely infilled by ca.3000 calibrated years B.P. (cal yr B.P.) with islands having established on these deposits by ca. 2.5 cal kyr B.P.; (2) faros >0.5 km2 but <~1.25 km2 have velu in late stages of infill, may support unvegetated sand cays and, given sufficient sand supply, may evolve into larger, more permanent islands; and (3) faros >~1.25 km2 have unfilled (deeper) velu which might only infill over long time scales and which are thus unlikely to support new island initiation. These new observations, when combined with previously published data on Maldivian reef island development, suggest that while the velu of the largest faro are unlikely to fi ll over the next few centuries (at least), other faro with near-infilled velu may provide important foci for future reef-island building, even under present highstand (and slightly rising) sea levels.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Linking reef ecology to island building: Parrotfish identified as major producers of island-building sediment in the Maldives
      Perry, C.; Kench, P.; O'Leary, Mick; Morgan, K.; Januchowski-Hartley, F. (2015)
      Reef islands are unique landforms composed entirely of sediment produced on the surrounding coral reefs. Despite the fundamental importance of these ecological-sedimentary links for island development and future maintenance, ...
    • Quaternary development of resilient reefs on the subsiding kimberley continental margin, Northwest Australia
      Collins, Lindsay; Testa, V. (2010)
      The Kimberley region in remote northwest Australia has poorly known reef systems of two types; coastal fringing reefs and atoll-like shelf-edge reefs. As a major geomorphic feature (from 12ºS to 18ºS) situated along a ...
    • Self-generated morphology in lagoon reefs
      Blakeway, David; Hamblin, M. (2015)
      The three-dimensional form of a coral reef develops through interactions and feedbacks between its constituent organisms and their environment. Reef morphology therefore contains a potential wealth of ecological information, ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.