Sediment transport processes within coral reef and vegetated coastal ecosystems: a review

A common feature of many coastal systems is the presence of large and complex bottom roughness (or canopies) on the seafloor that are formed by a wide range of different marine communities, including seagrasses, coral reef organisms, sponges and mangroves. Through light reduction and the direct impacts of sediment deposition, the health and function of these ecosystems can be significantly compromised by dredging activities. In predicting zones of impact and influence in dredging operations, it is therefore critical that we develop a mechanistic understanding of the transport and fate of dredging-derived sediments in these systems. This level of understanding is important, as observations suggest there are often complex and highly nonlinear relationships between community impact/mortality and both the concentration and exposure time of dredging plumes.