The Coral Sea: physical environment, ecosystem status and biodiversity assets

Book Chapter ResearchOnline@JCU
Ceccarelli, Daniela M.;McKinnon, A. David;Andréfouët, Serge;Allain, Valerie;Young, Jock;Gledhill, Daniel C.;Flynn, Adrian;Bax, Nicholas J.;Beaman, Robin;Borsa, Philippe;Brinkman, Richard;Bustamante, Rodrigo H.;Campbell, Robert;Cappo, Mike;Cravatte, Sophie;D'Agata, Stéphanie;Dichmont, Catherine M.;Dunstan, Piers K.;Dupouy, Cécile;Edgar, Graham;Farman, Richard;Furnas, Miles;Garrigue, Claire;Hutton, Trevor;Kulbicki, Michel;Letourneur, Yves;Lindsay, Dhugal;Menkes, Christophe;Mouillot, David;Parravicini, Valeriano;Payri, Claude;Pelletier, Bernard;Richer de Forges, Bertrand;Ridgway, Ken;Rodier, Martine;Samadi, Sarah;Schoeman, David;Skewes, Tim;Swearer, Steven;Vigliola, Laurent;Wantiez, Laurent;Williams, Alan;Williams, Ashley;Richardson, Anthony J.
Rob Beaman
Abstract

The Coral Sea, located at the southwestern rim of the Pacific Ocean, is the only tropical marginal sea where human impacts remain relatively minor. Patterns and processes identified within the region have global relevance as a baseline for understanding impacts in more disturbed tropical locations. Despite 70 years of documented research, the Coral Sea has been relatively neglected, with a slower rate of increase in publications over the past 20 years than total marine research globally. We review current knowledge of the Coral Sea to provide an overview of regional geology, oceanography, ecology and fisheries. Interactions between physical features and biological assemblages influence ecological processes and the direction and strength of connectivity among Coral Sea ecosystems. To inform management effectively, we will need to fill some major knowledge gaps, including geographic gaps in sampling and a lack of integration of research themes, which hinder the understanding of most ecosystem processes.

Journal

Advances in Marine Biology

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Volume

66

ISBN/ISSN

0065-2881

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Pages Count

78

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Publisher

Elsevier

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Publisher Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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EISSN

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DOI

10.1016/B978-0-12-408096-6.00004-3