Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Assessing the carbonate budget of coral reefs in Lakshadweep: Implications for reef growth and resilience. |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Manikandan Balakrishnan, CSIR National Institute Of Oceanography, Goa |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | manikandan@nio.org |
Details
Executive Summary : | Coral reefs worldwide are under constant environmental stressors, leading to their degradation. Climate stress events and anthropogenic pressures have altered the community structure of most reefs, replacing reef-building organisms with non-reef building ones. While studies have tracked the loss and recovery of live coral cover and its faunal diversity, the impacts on the critical functions and resilience potential of the reef ecosystem have received less attention. Climate stress affects the services of the reef ecosystem, such as carbonate production, which is crucial for reef-building organisms to build complex reef habitats. However, the balance between carbonate production by reef-building organisms and erosion by bioeroding organisms governs the services and sustainability of the reef. Changes in this ratio due to environmental pressure can weaken the reef framework and increase vulnerability of coral islands like Lakshadweep to physical forces like high-energy waves, storms, and cyclones. The proposed study aims to track the carbonate budget of Lakshadweep reefs by estimating the rate of carbonate production by calcifying organisms like corals and crustose coralline algae and the rate of erosion by bioeroding agents. This information provides crucial information on the reef growth potential and sustainability of its services, such as habitat provision and coastal protection. Understanding the dynamics in carbonate production and erosion can help develop a predictive assessment tool on regional reef ecosystem vulnerability based on high-resolution data acquired regarding coral reef system response to global climate perturbations. |
Total Budget (INR): | 35,82,120 |
Organizations involved