Projects per year
Abstract
©2016. The Authors. Here we synthesize data from previous field and laboratory studies describing how rates of nutrient uptake and metabolite exchange (mass transfer) are related to form drag and bottom stresses (momentum transfer). Reanalysis of this data shows that rates of mass transfer are highly correlated (r2 = 0.9) with the root of the bottom stress (tbot0.4) under both waves and currents and only slightly higher under waves (~10%). The amount of mass transfer that can occur per unit bottom stress (or form drag) is influenced by morphological features ranging anywhere from millimeters to meters in scale; however, surface-scale roughness (millimeters) appears to have little effect on actual nutrient uptake by living reef communities. Although field measurements of nutrient uptake by natural reef communities agree reasonably well with predictions based on existing mass-momentum transfer relationships, more work is needed to better constrain these relationships for more rugose and morphologically complex communities.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 9764-9772 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Geophysical Research Letters |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 18 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 28 Sept 2016 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Toward a universal mass-momentum transfer relationship for predicting nutrient uptake and metabolite exchange in benthic reef communities'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 2 Finished
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Wave dynamics in topographically-complex coastal reef systems
Lowe, R. (Investigator 01), Roelvink, J. (Investigator 02) & van Dongeren, A. (Investigator 03)
ARC Australian Research Council
1/01/14 → 31/07/17
Project: Research
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Physical Processes in Complex Coastal reef Environments: the Dynamics of Wave- and Tide-dominated Systems
Lowe, R. (Investigator 01)
ARC Australian Research Council
1/01/11 → 30/04/16
Project: Research