Smothering effects by marine snow on coral reef organisms, Great Barrier Reef

A preliminary study on the effects of marine snow on organisms of the Great Barrier Reef was carried out experimentally in the laboratory.A 15 cm branch of Acropora sp. (from a coastal reef near Cairns) was cut into 20 pieces less than 1 cm and positioned in groups of four on slides and exposed to sedimentation in tanks with different water regimes: coastal water (contained some marine snow), offshore water (no marine snow detected), nearshore water (no marine snow detected).
To test the short-term effects of deposition of TEP-enriched muddy marine snow and sediments on the survival of small reef associated organisms, by exposing them to sediments with and without TEP-enrichment.