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Cited by 338Coral and Marine Ecosystems StudiesMarine Biology and Ecology ResearchOcean Acidification Effects and Responses

Tropical dead zones and mass mortalities on coral reefs

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Altieri, Andrew H., Harrison, Seamus B., Seemann, Janina, Collin, Rachel, Diaz, Robert J., Knowlton, Nancy·2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1621517114PMC PMC5389270
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Abstract

Significance: Oxygen-starved coastal waters are rapidly increasing in prevalence worldwide. However, little is known about the impacts of these “dead zones” in tropical ecosystems or their potential threat to coral reefs. We document the deleterious effects of such an anoxic event on coral habitat and biodiversity, and show that the risk of dead-zone events to reefs worldwide likely has been seriously underestimated. Awareness of, and research on, reef hypoxia is needed to address the threat posed by dead zones to coral reefs.

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  • Land degradation is of great concern for oceans, manifested by the now more than 500 dead coastal marine zones where excessive nutrient runoff from agriculture has contributed to the collapse of coastal marine ecosystems.

    “For instance, land degradation is of great concern for oceans, manifested by the now more than 500 dead coastal marine zones where excessive nutrient runoff from agriculture has contributed to the collapse of coastal marine ecosystems (5).”

    From Restoring Degraded Lands (2021) · cites this paper as [5]

    The passages labeled Abstract (page unavailable) link agricultural runoff and nutrient inputs to coastal hypoxia and report massive coral-reef mortality in a documented event. But the paper lists 494 coastal dead zones, not more than 500, and does not say that agricultural runoff caused the collapse of ecosystems in all of them. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Altieri, A. H., Harrison, S. B., Seemann, J., Collin, R., Diaz, R. J., & Knowlton, N.
Affiliations
  • Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (PA)
  • Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA 23062;
  • Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2017-03-20
Volume
114
Issue
14
Pages
3660-3665
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1621517114
PMC
PMC5389270
OpenAlex
W2597848358
Cited by
338
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 66 · 2022: 38 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 5
FWCI
18.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • W&M Publish (College of William & Mary) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine Biology and Ecology Research
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
Keywords
hypoxia, coral reefs, coral bleaching, mass mortality, eutrophication, risk assessment, coral reef resilience, coastal water quality
MeSH terms
Animals, Conservation of Natural Resources, Oxygen, Panama, Population Dynamics, Tropical Climate, Anthozoa, Biodiversity, Coral Reefs, Water Quality

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