Figure 2
Turbidity-generating events during coral spawning periods in north-west Australia.
(a) Turbidity (NTU) readings at two water quality monitoring sites ~300 m north (Site 1) and south (Site 2) during the autumn (coral spawning) months in 2010 (before dredging) and 2011 during dredging a major capital dredging program (~7.6 M m3 of sediment dredged over 530 d) at Barrow Island. The autumn full moons are indicated and the shaded area indicates the major predicted autumn coral spawning period 8 days after the full moon. Dredging operations were suspended for 12 days from 20–31 March 2011 for the coral spawning environmental window and for a few days associated with the close proximity of cyclones Bianca, Dianne and Carlos. (b–d) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images from the Terra Satellite of Category 3 Tropical Cyclone Olwyn passing through Western Australian coastline from 10–13 March. Cyclone Olwyn developed in the Indian Ocean approximately 800 km from the Kimberley and Pilbara and hit the Ningaloo coastline on 12–13 March 2015, coinciding with the March coral spawning event. Scale bars = 200 km. We acknowledge the use of Rapid Response imagery from the Land, Atmosphere Near real-time Capability for EOS (LANCE) system operated by the NASA/GSFC/Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) with funding provided by NASA/HQ.
