De'ath and Fabricius, 2008:

"The species richness of hard corals increased with increasing water clarity by 24% (from 87 to 108 taxa; Fig. 2). Additionally, richness increased with decreasing chlorophyll by 14% (from 88 to 100 taxa). The greatest changes occurred when Secchi depth was in the range 8 – 13 m and chlorophyll was 0.25 – 0.4 μg L-1. Richness was unrelated to water clarity and chlorophyll in clearer water. Hard coral richness declined by ~16% towards the coast and fluctuated between 60 and 120 taxa per reef from south to north along the GBR."

Figure 2. Partial effects plots of changes of the species richness of hard corals along gradients of water clarity (Secchi depth, in m), chlorophyll (µg L-1), and distance across (0 = coast, 1 = offshore) and along the shelf (0 = south, 1 = north). 

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Citation and/or URL

De'ath, G. & Fabricius, K.E. 2008, Water quality of the Great Barrier Reef: distributions, effects on biota and trigger values for the protection of ecosystem health: final report to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Research Publication 89, Great barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Australia

Spatial Coverage

 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Temporal Coverage

Chlorophyll, nutrient and secchi data collected since 1976

Hard coral biodiversity data between 1994 and 2001 

Reef Plan Marine Monitoring Program since 2005 

Update Frequency

 Annually

Other Information

 None