Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Global change

Dishing the dirt on coral reefs

Sediment is bad news for coral reefs. In Australia, large increases in sedimentation were a by-product of introducing intensive agricultural practices, and that may also apply to other parts of the world.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

ANDREW ELLIOTT/GBRMPA

References

  1. McCulloch, M. et al. Nature 421, 727–730 (2003).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Shen, G. T. & Sanford, C. L. in Global Ecological Consequences of the 1982–83 El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ed. Glynn, P. W.) 255–284 (Elsevier, New York, 1990).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. Lea, D. W., Boyle, E. A. & Shen, G. T. Nature 340, 373–376 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. McCulloch, M. T., Gagan, M. K., Mortimer, G. E., Chivas, A. R. & Isdale, P. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 58, 2747–2754 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Isdale, P. J., Stewart, B. J. & Lough, J. M. Holocene 8, 1–8 (1998).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Jacks, G. V. & Whyte, R. O. Vanishing Lands: A World Survey of Soil Erosion (Doubleday, New York, 1939).

    Google Scholar 

  7. McClanahan, T. R. & Obura, D. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 209, 103–122 (1997).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Hastenrath, S., Nicklis, A. & Greischar, L. J. Geophys. Res. 98, 20219–20235 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lough, J. M. Coral Reefs 13, 181–195 (1994).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Trenberth, K. E. & Hoar, T. W. Geophys. Res. Lett. 23, 57–60 (1996).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Burke, L., Bryant, D., McManus, J. W. & Spalding, M. Reefs at Risk: A Map-based Indicator of Threats to the World's Coral Reefs (World Resources Inst., Washington DC, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kleypas, J. A. et al. Science 284, 118–120 (1999).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julia Cole.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cole, J. Dishing the dirt on coral reefs. Nature 421, 705–706 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/421705a

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/421705a

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing