Moreton Bay rapid coral bleaching assessment trip with the Sea World Foundation

Kirsten Golding
Marine Paleoecology Lab
School of the Environment

On Wednesday 20 March this year, I led a team of coral researchers from The University of Queensland on a visit to Quandamooka Sea Country (Moreton Bay) with the Sea World Foundation.

Our aim was to conduct a rapid assessment of coral bleaching on the reefs inside Moreton Bay, in response to the prolonged high sea surface temperatures recorded within the Bay over the summer period. We successfully surveyed five sites – Myora Reef, Goat Island East and West, and Peel Island Southeast and Northeast. The majority of coral colonies across different genera were healthy and did not exhibit signs of thermal stress, that is, coral bleaching.

However, at all sites visited, at least half of the Goniopora colonies, a boulder coral with long fleshy polyps, were bleached, with some colonies producing bright fluorescent pigments. We also observed a few instances of recent mortality of this coral genus.

Our snorkel team, Kirsten Golding, Sofia Palmer, Dr Katharine Prata and Dr Hannah Markham, on board the Sea World Foundation’s Sea World 2, excited for a day of surveying.

Photo credit: Kirsten Golding

At Goat Island East, Goniopora is a dominant component of the hard coral community remaining at this site, but we found that 80% of Goniopora colonies were bleached or fluorescing.

At Myora Reef, 95% of Acropora colonies, a tabulate branching coral, were healthy and not bleached but most shallow Pocillopora colonies – a fast-growing, branching coral – were pale. Although sea surface temperatures had begun to cool down by the time of our visit, the coral heat stress response is ongoing and we are continuing to monitor the coral bleaching.

This work would not have been possible without the support of the Sea World Foundation, who provided a boat, skipper, Andrew Mulville, and dive supervisor, Clinton Karger, for the day.

Goniopora boulder coral surrounded by healthy soft corals at Goat Island East.

Photo credit: Kirsten Golding

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Project members

Kirsten Golding

Research Assistant
School of Environment
Marine Ecosystems Monitoring Lab