From Australian Oceans Data Network
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The distribution of coral communities across the central Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea

Created 23/06/2025

Updated 23/06/2025

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During 1980 -1981, the coral communities on 2 inner-shelf reefs (Pandora Reef and Phillips Reef), 3 mid-shelf reefs (Rib Reef, John Brewer Reef and Lodestone Reef), 3 outer-shelf reefs (Myrmidon Reef, Dip Reef and Bowl Reef) and 2 Coral Sea reefs (South West Flinders Reef and South Flinders Reef) were surveyed. These reefs were located approximately 10, 50, 100 and 200 km offshore along a transect across the central Great Barrier Reef into the Coral Sea.At each reef, transects which crossed all major habitats to a depth of 30m, were identified using aerial photographs and manta tow. Survey sites, covering an area of 100-500 m², were chosen along each transect where visible differences in reef topography were observed.At each site a checklist of corals (including Scleractinia, the non-scleractinian genera Millepora and Tubipora musica (Alcyonaria)) was compiled and each species assigned a score based on estimates of its relative percentage cover. Estimates were also made of the total hard and soft coral cover. Depth, slope, substratum and general topography were recorded.For each reef, the reef type, depth of the adjacent sea, gradient of the reef slope, depth of the lagoon, height of incident waves, water transparency and sediment type were recorded. This research was undertaken to describe large scale patterns in the distribution of coral communities across the continental shelf in the central region of the Great Barrier Reef and into the Coral Sea. Factors considered included the hydrodynamic regime, water transparency and position of reefs on the onshore-offshore transect.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title The distribution of coral communities across the central Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/97cff17b-f997-4544-ac18-dd4365db6b65
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
reception@aims.gov.au
Reference Period 20/11/2017
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    148.355839,
    -17.70391
  ],
  "type": "Point"
}
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "The distribution of coral communities across the central Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/the-distribution-of-coral-communities-across-the-central-great-barrier-reef-and-coral-sea1