Track: Oceanography, Coastal Zone, Marine Resources
The Effects of Disturbance on Coral Reef Community Structure, the Perfect Job for a GIS
Eric TremlCoral reefs have been studied extensively throughout the past five decades, although with relatively little emphasis on the importance of history and scale. Quite recently, ecological theory and the field of GIS have advanced together to form a conceptual and logistical framework suitable to the investigation of multiscale ecological problems. Applying this framework in the study of complex reef systems, we are able to provide insight to what mechanisms are responsible for the observed patterns in community structure. The factors included in this study are reef thickness, current regime, sedimentation, tropical storm impact, bathymetry, species diversity, and cover.
Eric Treml
University of Charleston
205 Fort Johnson Rd
Charleston, SC 29412
USA
Telephone: 803-795-9877
Fax:
E-mail: etreml@csc.noaa.gov