The bathymetry, habitats and biodiversity of Ningaloo coastal lagoon areas in relationship to resource use, biophysical environment and access points

The biological oceanography of Ningaloo Reef: coastal plankton as a food source for the reef. Assessing the vulnerability of Ningaloo Marine Park to pollution.

Surveys were undertaken of key invertebrate and plant groups in lagoon areas throughout the Ningaloo Marine Park, focussing on identifying and quantifying soft corals, sponges, echinoderms (urchins and sea cucumbers) and seagrasses; this information was linked to the underlying habitat structure in the Ningaloo Reef lagoons, used in a parallel habitat mapping project based on hyperspectral aerial photography. The biodiversity surveys conducted throughout the Ningaloo Reef system have shown that there are clear differences in the lagoon systems in different parts of the Marine Park, with clear biogeographic separation of sponges, soft corals and seagrasses. This has important implications for the distribution and abundance of many animals, including some of commercial importance. The northern section of the Marine Park (north of Point Cloates) is more strongly tropical than the southern section, which has many temperate species present. There are also several locations within the Ningaloo Reef system that are quite unique and don’t necessarily match the surrounding lagoon environment. Examples include Coral Bay, Bateman Bay and the Point Cloates region. These observations will be important in the management of the Ningaloo Marine Park; the northern and southern sections of the Marine Park may need to be managed differently. Surveying biological groups over the whole Marine Park is difficult and time consuming; further sampling in more locations and at different times of year are required to build on the findings of our study. There are clear seasonal differences in primary productivity in the lagoons, which likely drive significant community-wide changes throughout the year. These seasonal variations will also affect the validity of the habitat maps, which were based on imagery collected at only one time of year. Seasonal sampling will improve the reliability of the habitat maps and also give a better understanding of how the Ningaloo system operates.

Geomorphology, Growth History and Surface Sediments of Ningaloo Reef

The establishment and extension of Sanctuary Zones (SZ) in the Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP) has necessitated improvements in the understanding of the biodiversity and distribution of benthic habitats in the reef lagoon, its seaward barrier and the adjacent shelf environment. My PhD research, supportedby the Ningaloo Research Program (NRP), aims to characterise the geomorphology and surficial sediments in bith the reef system and continental shelf, and identify and evaluate their influence on the spatial distribution of benthic habitats and communities. A major collaborative project, co-funded through NRP and supported by expertise from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Curtin University of Technology, the University of WA, the WA Museum and Sydney University, aims to characterise the biodiversity and key ecological processes of the deepwater habitats, offshore of the fringin reef to 110m. Over 100 kilometers of the northern secto of the Marine Park has been examined using a variety of sampling techniques including underwater video, acoustic mapping and traditional sampling techniques. Towed underwater video cameras and onboard live classifications were used to chartacterise habitats and their community structures. Australia's most advanced Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), which takes high resolution 3D stereo images of the seafloor, was trialed for the first time. Surficial sediment grabs were taken at or close to video stations to describe the various sediment facies and characterise the physical and biological properties. Species samples, including spectacular sponge gardens, were collected using benthic sleds in representative habitats to form the basis of a deepwater seabed biodiversity database. Baited Remote Underwater Vehicle System (BRUVS), deployed in target habitats, will help determine the significance of spatial habtat variables in structuring demersal fish demograophics and assemblages. Detailed seabed mapping was undertaken in selected areas usinf multibeam and sinlebeam acoustics to generate information on bith the seabed bathymetry and texture, aiding in the preparation of marine habitat maps of the areas surveyed, and provide surrogate information for additional broadscale biodiversity assessments. In addition, work is currently underway to investigate four areas in the backreef area adjacent to those surveyed offshore. Similar methods and sampling applied to shallow water have been used, including aerial photography and hyperspectral satellite interpretation, sediment grabs and probes, scuba video-transects within the deep water within habitats for both benthos and fish characterisation, and BRUVS. This research, in addition to the deep water, will help to build a picture of how each process contributes to the whole system and the sustained health of the reef environment.

This project is a cooperative effort between the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, the University of Hawaii, BAE Systems Spectral Solutions and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to map the coral reef habitats of American Samoa, Guam and the Common Wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by visual interpretation and manual delineation of IKONOS satellite imagery. A two tiered habitat classification system was tested and implemented in this work. It integrates geomorphologic reef structure and biological cover into a single scheme and subsets each into detail. It also includes thirteen zones. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 45.2 square kilometers of which 4.4 were unconsolidated sediment and 40.9 were coral reef and hard bottom. Of the coral reef and hard bottom class, 59.9% is colonized by greater than 10% coral cover.

Four habitat and zone maps. This project is a cooperative effort between the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, the University of Hawaii, and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to develop coral reef mapping methods and compare benthic habitat maps generated by photointerpreting georeferenced color aerial photography, hyperspectral and IKONOS satellite imagery. Twenty-seven distinct benthic habitat types within eleven zones were mapped directly into a GIS system using visual interpretation of orthorectified aerial photographs and hyperspectral imagery. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 790 km^2. In all, 204 km^2 of unconsolidated sediment, 171 km^2 of submerged vegetation, and 415 km^2 of coral reef and colonized hardbottom were mapped.

This project is a cooperative effort between the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, the University of Hawaii, BAE Systems Spectral Solutions and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to map the coral reef habitats of the Main Eight Hawaiian Islands by visual interpretation and manual delineation of IKONOS and Quick Bird satellite imagery. A two tiered habitat classification system was tested and implemented in this work. It integrates geomorphologic reef structure and biological cover into a single scheme and subsets each into detail. It also includes fourteen zones.

Data on the geological evolution of Ningaloo reef.

This project is a cooperative effort between the National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, the University of Hawaii, BAE Systems Spectral Solutions and Analytical Laboratories of Hawaii, LLC. The goal of the work was to map the coral reef habitats of American Samoa, Guam and the Common Wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands by visual interpretation and manual delineation of IKONOS satellite imagery. A two tiered habitat classification system was tested and implemented in this work. It integrates geomorphologic reef structure and biological cover into a single scheme and subsets each into detail. It also includes thirteen zones. Benthic features were mapped that covered an area of 45.2 square kilometers of which 4.4 were unconsolidated sediment and 40.9 were coral reef and hard bottom. Of the coral reef and hard bottom class, 59.9% is colonized by greater than 10% coral cover.