Physical Oceanographic Processes of the Great Barrier Reef

A comprehensive volume describing the water circulation and its influence in controlling the distribution of marine life on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

The book uses exhaustive field and numerical studies to show how the influence of the salient topography occurs at all scales.

This scale includes: tens of kilometres when a dense matrix of reefs effectively blocks the tides; hundreds of metres when the waves on reefs create strong secondary currents and when the complex currents around a coral reef generate strong upwelling and downwelling; metres when plankton is aggregated in topographically-controlled fronts leading to streakiness and patchiness, and centimetres when the rugged surface of coral reefs enhances the transfer of nutrients.

One book identifies the key physical processes that control the biological and sedimentological processes on coral reefs.

The processes are described systematically and in a consistent manner, with clear explanations of field observations and modelling techniques.