Long-term chnages in coral-reef ecosystem after historic times, based on sediment cores

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25340060
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental impact assessment
• Research Institution: University of the Ryukyus
• Principal Investigator: Fujita Kazuhiko 琉球大学, 理学部, 教授 (00343377)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): ASAMI Ryuji 琉球大学, 理学部, 准教授 (00400242) ; YASUMOTO Jun 琉球大学, 農学部, 助教 (70432870)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 堆積物コア / サンゴ礁生態系 / 人為影響

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Coral reef ecosystems are now being threatened by global environmental changes and human impacts. However, it is still argued that when and how increasing human populations historically affect coral reef ecosystems. We conducted geochemical and micropaleontological analyses of sediment cores drilled from the reclaimed areas of Naha City (Okinawa Prefecture, Japan), where pristine coral reefs had been reclaimed. Results showed that Holocene sediments consisting mainly of bioclastic carbonate sand and mud increasingly contained terrigenous siliciclasts in the upper part of cores, and that some cores potentially record historical changes in terrigenous sediment inputs into coral reef environments, starting from periods of Gusuku and Ryukyu Kingdom.

Free Research Field

サンゴ礁地球生命科学