Measurements were obtained from existing samples of Porites colonies held in the collections at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and from small colonies collected from the Great Barrier Reef.
Tissue depth was measured on 19 massive Porites colonies collected the Northern Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), between November 1987 and December 1990. Colonies were collected from Ashmore Reef, Lagoon Reef, Eel Reef, Portland Roads, Rocky Island, Night Island, Reef No. 13-055 and Reef No. 13-050, Stephens Island and Bedarra Island, Myrmidon Reef, Rib Reef and Pandora Reef, Davies Reef, Shaw Island, Reef No. 20-200, Credlin Reef, Reef No. 21-141 and Middle Percy Island.
Tissue depth was also measured on coral cores collected from massive Porites colonies from 30 reefs in Torres Strait and the GBR between August 1983 and May 1988. Cores were collected from Darnley Island, Pascoe River, Burkitt Island, Boulder Reef, Escape Reef, Snapper Island, Low Islets, Normanby Reef, Kurrimine Beach, Kumboola Island, Bedarra Island, Coombe Island, Brooke Island, Britomart Reef, Rib Reef, Yankee Reef, Great Palm Island, Pandora Reef, Wheeler Reef, Acheron Island, Magnetic Island, Hooke Island, North Molle Island, South Molle Island, Lupton Island, Scawfell Island, Sanctuary Cay, Abraham Reef, Halfway Island, Masthead Island.
Colonies were selected from environments towards the rear of the windward reef flat or on sheltered parts of fringing reefs in the lee of the islands at depths between 3 and 5 m relative to mean low water spring tide levels. The species of coral colonies analysed were: P. lutea, P. lobata, P. australensis, P. solida and P. mayeri, P. murrayensis, P. densa and P. stephensoni. A total of 284 corals were analysed for tissue thickness.
