Relationship Between Massive Coral Distribution and Physical Variables in Amitori Bay, Iriomote Island, Japan

In Amitori Bay, Iriomote Island, Japan, massive coral distribution shows distinct relationships with physical variables. Key findings reveal that massive coral cover inversely correlates with water depth and other coral forms, while weakly correlating with average wave height due to the resilience of their structure. Additionally, soil particle quantity exhibits an inverse relationship with coral species diversity but a positive correlation with the dominance of certain coral types like Acropora, likely due to their superior sediment removal capabilities. The study integrated coral distribution surveys, ocean-atmosphere-river observations, and wave models to elucidate these patterns.

SHIMOKAWA, S., KOHNO, H., MURAKAMI, T., MIZUTANI, A., SHIBAYAMA, T., YAMAMOTO, Y., UKAI, A., & NAKASE, K. (2015). RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MASSIVE CORAL DISTRIBUTION AND PHYSICAL VARIABLES IN AMITORI BAY, IRIOMOTE ISLAND, JAPAN. Journal of Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Ser. B3 (Ocean Engineering), 71(2), I. https://doi.org/10.2208/jscejoe.71.i_969