AIMS Long-term Monitoring Program: Agents of coral mortality (Great Barrier Reef)

In 6 sectors of the Great Barrier Reef (Cooktown/Lizard island, Cairns, Townsville, Whitsunday, Swain and Capricorn Bunker) 49 of the key manta tow reefs are designated 'core' survey reefs and are also surveyed using the scuba search technique. Where possible, three or more reefs in each sector have been selected in each of three positions across the continental shelf: inshore, mid-shelf and outer shelf.Results of scuba searches for juvenile Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS), Acanthaster cf. solaris, and the mollusc Drupella. Observations have been obtained since October 1989 and are ongoing.Data includes counts of COTS and Drupella, coral feeding scars caused by COTS and Drupella, and the outbreaking status of COTS and Drupella. Also recorded are the percentage of bleached coral and the number of corals affected by disease. Diseases identified are: white syndrome, black band, skeletal eroding band and brown band. Any scar of unknown origin is also recorded.Information is also recorded about the reef environment of each survey (e.g. reef slope, substratum at reef base) and its benthic community (dominant benthic group, dominant hard coral, dominant coral life form).To facilitate causes of coral mortality including juvenile and adult Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS), Acanthaster cf. solaris, and the mollusc Drupella.To assess the amount of coral bleaching and disease.Bleaching is recorded as a percentage of the total hard coral cover: 0=absent, 0+ = individual colonies, -1= 1-5%, +1= 6-10%, 2=11-30%, 3=31-50%, 4 =51-75%, 5=76-100%