This thesis examines functional relationships between the morphologic, hydrodynamic, ecological and sedimentological characteristics of the Warraber reef platform, an inter-tidal reef island system, Central Torres Strait, Australia (10[degrees] 12??? S, 142 [degrees] 49??? E). Hydrodynamic and sediment-transport experiments were conducted on the reef flat using current meters, water level recorders and directional sediment traps. Results showed dominantly SE flows during the dry season and more variable NW to SE flows during the wet season. Topography and reefal water levels modulated the direction and strength of currents and the generation of wind-waves on the reef flat as well as the passage of waves over the reef rim. These hydrodynamic conditions are sufficient to induce significant transport of moderately fast to slow settling sediment (&gt-5.25 symbol psi) on the reef flat, though the platform as a whole is a relatively closed transport system. Carbonate production was estimated based on the key ecological variables of live assemblage distribution and cover. Overall, only 24% of the reef flat was occupied by carbonate-producing organisms. The average estimated carbonate-production rate for the reef was 1.6 kgm -2y-1 (0.07-4.37 kgm-2y-1). Production is dominated by coral (73%), with subordinate proportions contributed by coralline algae (19%). And molluscs, foraminifera and Halimeda (&lt4%) though actual reef-flat sediments did not reflect this potential. Instead, they were dominated by molluscs (35-55%), coralline algae (16-26%), coral (8-13%), Halimeda (7-8%) and foraminifera (5-10%). Differential rates of carbonate to sediment conversion meant the reef-platform sediments were more closely related to the cover of live organisms than to the contribution of carbonate production by each parent organism. The settling properties of the least altered particles of the five commonest constituents were measured and these provided the basis for an eco-sedimentological model of the reef-platform system. Modelled textures were compared to the actual textures, indicating the degree of textural alteration resulting from a combination of biological and physical processes, including sediment production, hydraulic sorting and mechanical breakdown. This analysis, integrated with the hydrodynamic, exposure and other data, was used to determine reef-platform surface-sediment sources, sinks and transport pathways. In using both the textual and constituent compositional properties of sediments, as well as information on local biological and physical processes, the model approach developed offers progress towards an integrative, interdisciplinary analysis of carbonate environments.

While community ecologists have traditionally focused on local-scale processes, it has become apparent that a broader perspective, which explores the community-level ramifications of material fluxes within and between ecosystems, is necessary to effectively evaluate bottom-up influences on community structure and dynamics. In this dissertation, I employed ecosystem principles to understand these processes in rocky intertidal communities. I specifically examined the roles of sessile invertebrates in mediating the transfers and transformations of carbon and nitrogen in intertidal ecosystems. First, I quantified the links between nearshore pelagic and rocky intertidal systems. By assimilating suspended particulate organic material (seston), mussels and other sessile invertebrates serve as mediators of material exchange from pelagic to benthic ecosystems. I evaluated these trophic linkages along productivity gradients on the coasts of New Zealand and Oregon, which allowed me to address the influences of seston quality and quantity on the growth and ammonium excretion rates of mussels. My results highlight the necessity of simultaneously considering both seston quantity (total organic particulates) and quality (phytoplankton availability) in evaluating benthic-pelagic coupling. Second, I assessed the utilization of invertebrate-excreted ammonium by macroalgae in high-intertidal pools. Sessile invertebrates not only serve as mediators of material transfer into intertidal ecosystems, they also chemically transform that material, converting particulate organic nitrogen, which is unusable by macroalgae, into ammonium, which algae readily assimilate. l showed that especially in high-zone pools, which are isolated from the ocean for 80% of the time, invertebrate-excreted ammonium is an important nitrogen source for macroalgae. Ammonium accumulated in tide pools and was subsequently taken up by algae. This novel positive interaction influenced community structure: macroalgal species richness increased with the rate of invertebrate-mediated ammonium loading in pools. Finally, by experimentally manipulating macroalgae and invertebrates in laboratory mesocosms, I quantified the effect of ammonium loading on algal growth. I demonstrated that algal nitrogen assimilation rates increased with the rate of ammonium accumulation in tide pools, which resulted in enhanced growth when invertebrates were present. Together, these studies suggest that by merging community and ecosystem perspectives we can gain unique and important insights into the bottom-up processes influencing intertidal systems. / Graduation date: 2004

I examined the hypothesis that high variability in Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and ocean color are associated with higher coral cover and slower rates of decline of coral cover within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). Synoptic SST time series maps, covering the period 1994-2005, were constructed for the FKNMS with data collected using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite sensors. The SST data were compared with coral cover time series assessments at 36 sites conducted by the Coral Reef and Evaluation Monitoring Program (CREMP; 1996-2005), sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Florida. Out of the 36 stations, Smith Shoals routinely experienced very different and extreme environmental conditions relative to the rest of the stations, including extreme salinity, suspended sediments, and "black water" events that led to the death of coral reef organisms such as in 2002. Among the other 35 stations, sites that experienced moderately higher SST variability (mean variance > 6) relative to other sites showed a trend toward higher percentage coral cover (r=0.62, p=6.33x10-5, N=35) and relatively slower rates of decline (r=0.41, p=0.02, N=35) over the 12-year study period. The results suggest that coral reefs sites that are continuously exposed to high but not extreme variability in temperature may develop resilience against episodes of extreme cold or elevated SST. Variability of suspended sediments and water clarity were estimated using satellite-derived, normalized water-leaving radiance products. Ocean color data were obtained from the Sea-viewing Wide-Field-of View Sensor (Sea WiFS) from 1998 to 2005. Normalized water-leaving radiance at 443 (Lwn443) was used as a proxy to examine variability in water clarity, and normalized water-leaving radiance at 670 (Lwn670) was used as a proxy to study variability in suspended sediments. A weak relationship was identified between variability of Lwn443 and Lwn670 and coral cover as estimated by CREMP assessments in 2005 (r=0.43, p = 0.01, N=35 and r = 0.47, p = 0.005, N=35, respectively). There was a weak relationship between coral cover change and Lwn670 from 1988 to 2005 (r = 0.46, p = 0.05, N=35), but there no relationship was observed between variability of Lwn443 and change in coral cover (r =0.27, p =0.11, N=35). Further research is required to understand the origin, concentration and composition of dissolved or suspended materials that change the turbidity of waters around reefs of the FKNMS, and whether these changes can be adequately interpreted by examining concurrent satellite imagery. Ultimately, such remote sensing and field research is required to understand how water quality affects the health of coral reefs, and how coral ecosystems adapt to environmental variability.

This thesis examines functional relationships between the morphologic, hydrodynamic, ecological and sedimentological characteristics of the Warraber reef platform, an inter-tidal reef island system, Central Torres Strait, Australia (10[degrees] 12??? S, 142 [degrees] 49??? E). Hydrodynamic and sediment-transport experiments were conducted on the reef flat using current meters, water level recorders and directional sediment traps. Results showed dominantly SE flows during the dry season and more variable NW to SE flows during the wet season. Topography and reefal water levels modulated the direction and strength of currents and the generation of wind-waves on the reef flat as well as the passage of waves over the reef rim. These hydrodynamic conditions are sufficient to induce significant transport of moderately fast to slow settling sediment (&gt-5.25 symbol psi) on the reef flat, though the platform as a whole is a relatively closed transport system. Carbonate production was estimated based on the key ecological variables of live assemblage distribution and cover. Overall, only 24% of the reef flat was occupied by carbonate-producing organisms. The average estimated carbonate-production rate for the reef was 1.6 kgm -2y-1 (0.07-4.37 kgm-2y-1). Production is dominated by coral (73%), with subordinate proportions contributed by coralline algae (19%). And molluscs, foraminifera and Halimeda (&lt4%) though actual reef-flat sediments did not reflect this potential. Instead, they were dominated by molluscs (35-55%), coralline algae (16-26%), coral (8-13%), Halimeda (7-8%) and foraminifera (5-10%). Differential rates of carbonate to sediment conversion meant the reef-platform sediments were more closely related to the cover of live organisms than to the contribution of carbonate production by each parent organism. The settling properties of the least altered particles of the five commonest constituents were measured and these provided the basis for an eco-sedimentological model of the reef-platform system. Modelled textures were compared to the actual textures, indicating the degree of textural alteration resulting from a combination of biological and physical processes, including sediment production, hydraulic sorting and mechanical breakdown. This analysis, integrated with the hydrodynamic, exposure and other data, was used to determine reef-platform surface-sediment sources, sinks and transport pathways. In using both the textual and constituent compositional properties of sediments, as well as information on local biological and physical processes, the model approach developed offers progress towards an integrative, interdisciplinary analysis of carbonate environments.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Wollongong, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: p. 87-93.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-17T14:55:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2453210 bytes, checksum: 30faa7ddf8d520d8e3c100c3296d8a2b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Several types of mechanisms can influence community structure of fishes in marine ecosystems, such as larval recruitment, interaction between species, abiotic factors, composition and percent cover of benthic organisms, mainly providing a relationship of habitat complexity with higher abundance and structural diversity. In this context, this study aimed to survey the reef fish fauna of coastal habitats located in the Parque Estadual Marinho Areia Vermelha, with emphasis on habitat characteristics, distribution patterns and conservation aspects recorded species in the area. The study site was divided into sampling stations according to the history of tourism activity: Areia Vermelha (AV - longer visiting history), Areia Dourada (AD - recent visiting history) and No Visit (SV - adjacent area - no visiting history). The stations were sampled by the method of stationary visual census in free-diving, with the average duration of 15 minutes and between December 2009 and April 2010, December 2010 and January 2011. Among the types of substrate coverage analyzed, there was a dominance of sessile invertebrates in AD and macroalgae in AV and SV. during the 150 censuses, a total of 6141 specimens were recorded, including by 55 species, distributed in 26 families. Labridae (Scarinae) was the family with highest abundance and Haemulidae the one with highest species richness. The species that yielded the largest number of individuals on the macroalgae environments were Sparisoma axillare, Abudefduf saxatilis, Acanthurus chirurgus, Haemulon parra and Halichoeres brasiliensis, while the reefs were Sparisoma axillare, Abudefduf saxatilis, Acanthurus chirurgus, Scarus zelindae and Halichoeres brasiliensis. Most individuals were found in the juvenile stage. With respect to trophic structure, most sighted individuals were grouped in the category Non-Territorial Herbivores. The environments analyzed in this study proved to be important for juvenile individuals of different species as well as for endangered fishes, indicating the importance of their conservation for the survival of these species. / Muitos mecanismos podem influenciar a estrutura da comunidade de peixes em ambientes marinhos, tais como o recrutamento larval, interação entre as espécies, fatores abióticos, composição e percentagem de cobertura de organismos bênticos, conferindo principalmente à complexidade do habitat uma relação com maior abundância e diversidade estrutural. Diante deste contexto, o presente trabalho objetivou inventariar a fauna de peixes recifais do Parque Estadual Marinho Areia Vermelha, com ênfase na caracterização do habitat, padrões de distribuição e aspectos da conservação das espécies registradas no Parque. A área de estudo foi dividida em estações de coleta de acordo com o histórico de turismo: Areia Vermelha (AV histórico antigo de visitação), Areia Dourada (AD histórico recente de visitação) e Sem Visita (SV área adjacente sem histórico de visitação). As estações foram amostradas pelo método do censo visual estacionário, em mergulho livre, com duração média de 15 minutos e entre dezembro de 2009 a abril de 2010, dezembro de 2010 e janeiro de 2011. Dentre os tipos de cobertura de substrato analisados, houve dominância dos invertebrados sésseis em AD e de macroalgas em AV e SV. Dos 150 censos realizados, foi registrado um total de 6.141 espécimes, representados por 55 espécies e distribuídos em 27 famílias. Labridae (Scarinae) foi o grupo com maior abundância e Haemulidae a família com maior riqueza de espécies. As espécies que perfizeram o maior número de indivíduos nos ambientes de macroalga foram Sparisoma axillare, Abudefduf saxatilis, Acanthurus chirurgus, Haemulon parra e Halichoeres brasiliensis, enquanto nos recifes foram Sparisoma axillare, A. saxatilis, A. chirurgus, Scarus zelindae e H. brasiliensis. A maioria dos indivíduos foram encontrados no estágio juvenil. Em relação às categorias tróficas, a maior parte dos indivíduos avistados foi agrupada na categoria Herbívoros não territorialistas. Os ambientes analisados no presente estudo mostraram ser importantes para indivíduos jovens de variadas espécies, bem como para peixes considerados ameaçados de extinção, o que remete a importância da conservação de tais ambientes para a sobrevivência destas espécies.

Orientadores: Fosca Pedini Pereira Leite, Sergio Ricardo Floeter / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T19:50:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Krajewski_JoaoPaulo.pdf: 9575479 bytes, checksum: 263e857c27328008c50d4b577be61438 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Os recifes proporcionam abrigo e alimento para diversas espécies de peixes e, portanto, pode haver uma relação entre a distribuição e comportamento de peixes recifais e a composição de substratos do recife. Fatores físicos, especialmente o hidrodinamismo e profundidade, também parecem ter grande influência sobre a distribuição e comportamento de algumas espécies de peixes recifais. No presente estudo a relação entre a distribuição e atividade de espécies de peixes, especialmente as que se alimentam de invertebrados bentônicos (zoobentivoras), e a composição de substratos do recife, hidrodinamismo e profundidade foi estudada em recifes do arquipélago de Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco. As principais espécies zoobentivoras de Fernando de Noronha forrageiam principalmente sobre substratos compostos por algas filamentosas verdes e vermelhas e algas pardas cobertas de sedimento, e sua atividade alimentar não é distribuída proporcionalmente à abundância relativa dos diferentes substratos. Ainda, para algumas espécies, o uso de substrato pode variar entre recifes. A dieta principal dos zoobentívoros mais abundantes em Fernando de Noronha são poliquetas e crustáceos. Quatro espécies foram estudadas quanto à variação de sua atividade entre diferentes recifes. Haemulon chrysargyreum, Halichoeres radiatus, e Cephalopholis fulva em geral parecem evitar nadar na coluna d'água quando há maior batimento de ondas. Por outro lado, Thalassoma norohhanum não varia seu comportamento em função do hidrodinamismo. A presença de distúrbio no substrato também pode influenciar o comportamento dos peixes recifais de Fernando de Noronha, uma vez que experimentalmente foi demonstrado que espécies carnívoras oportunistas são atraídas por distúrbios causados no substrato não consolidado. Em geral, o hidrodinamismo é o principal fator que influencia a distribuição e comportamento de peixes recifais em Fernando de Noronha, especialmente os planctívoros e alguns herbívoros. A abundância e biomassa de peixes em geral foi maior em recifes com menor hidrodinamismo, mais fundos (>10m) e maior cobertura de corais. Os peixes zoobentívoros de Fernando de Noronha, porém, aparentam ser generalistas na escolha de substrato de forrageamento e habitat e, portanto, parece não haver relação entre sua abundância e a disponibilidade de seus principais substratos de forrageamento. / Abstract: Reefs provide shelter and food for several fish species and, thus, there may be a correlation between the abundance and behaviour of fishes and the reef bottom composition-Physical factors, such as water movement and depth, may also have a profound impact in species distribuiton and activity on reefs. Here, the possible relationship between the distribution and activity of reef fishes, mainly benthic carnivores, and reef bottom composition, water movement and depth was studied in the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, off Northeast Brazil. The main benthic carnivorous fishes at the archipelago forage mostly on substrata composed by filamentous and brown algae covered by sediments, and the different types of substrata present on reefs were used disproportionaly to their availability. Some studied species also varied their foraging substratum selection between nearby reefs. The main items in the diet of the benthic carnivorous fishes were polychaetes and crustaceans. We also studied the local variation in the activity of four fish species, and Haemulon chrysargyreum, Halichoeres radiatus, e Cephalopholis fulva tended to avoid swimming in the water column when there was higher water movement. On the other hand, Thalassoma noronhanum did not vary its activity with diferent degres of water movement. We also recorded that the presence of substratum disturbance on soft sediments may alter the activity of opportunistic carnivorous fishes, since they were attracted by disturbance on the bottom caused experimentaly and started to forage in the area where the substratum was disturbed. In general, water movement was the main factor influencing the fish communities in Fernando de Noronha, especially of herbivorous and planktivorous fishes. Abundance and biomass of fishes in general were greater in reefs with less water movement, deeper (>10m) and whith more coral cover. The benthic carnivorous fishes of Fernando de Noronha, however, were mostly versatile in their habitat use and foraging substratum selection and its distribution seem not to be influenced by the avalability of their main foraging substratum. / Tese (doutotrado) - Universida / Ecologia / Doutor em Ecologia

This thesis focuses on the investigation of reef communities of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul´s Archipelago (SPSPA) across an euphotic/mesophotic depth gradient. Sampling was performed on shallow and mesophotic areas (0 to 90 m depth) using SCUBA and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The present work is composed of four chapters: Chapter 1 deals with the quantitative assessment of reef fish communities, which were divided in three distinct communities associated with different depth strata. Clear shifts in habitat use and in size-frequency distributions were recorded for some species. Abundance of black-corals and depth were the most important factors affecting the structure of fish communities, with a clear association of fish with branching black-corals in the mesophotic zone. Chapter 2 presents the first detailed qualitative assessment of benthic communities of the SPSPA. The influence of biotic and abiotic variables shaping the structure of the benthic communities was evaluated. A total of 77 benthic taxa belonging to six major functional groups were recorded. Macroalgae was the richest group (41 infrageneric taxa), with 17 new records for the SPSPA. Turf algae were the most abundant group on both shallow and mesophotic reefs. Two distinct communities were detected: a shallow one composed primarily by the zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1861), the fleshy alga Caulerpa racemosa (Forsskål) J. Agardh, crustose coralline algae (CCA) and Bryopsis spp., and another deeper community dominated by CCA, bryozoans and scleractinian corals. Abiotic variables were the most important predictors of benthic community structure. Chapter 3 brings information on abundance, distribution size and associated fauna (epibionts) of black-corals. Although two species of black-corals, Tanacetipathes hirta (Gray, 1857) and T. thamnea (Warner, 1981), are known to occur in the SPSPA, they are undistinguishable underwater. Epibiosis, mainly by zoanthids and entanglement by fishing monofilament were important factors negatively affecting the health of black-coral colonies. Black-corals were intensively used as refuge by reef fish, especially by the endemic oblique butterflyfish Prognathodes obliquus (Chaetodontidae). A single black-coral colony repeatedly visited and monitored for ten years showed a decrease in vitality since the first observation, mainly related to fouling by algal detritus and entanglement by fishing monofilaments. Chapter 4 discusses the ecology (abundance, distribution and habitat preferences) of the fireworm Hermodice carunculata, a major predator on mesophotic zone of SPSPA. A total of 278 individuals of bearded fireworm were observed, with significant difference in abundance between euphotic and mesophotic zones. A direct association of H. carunculata with black-corals (Tanacetipathes spp.), the scleractinian Madracis decactis and depth was found. A final session with concluding remarks wraps up information on the ecology of Mesophotic Reef Ecosystems highlighting their possible importance for the stability and persistence of reef fish and benthic communities of the SPSPA, which are under threat of overfishing and climate change, thus requiring urgent protective measures. / O tema central desta tese é estudar a ecologia de comunidades recifais ao longo do gradiente de profundidade no Arquipélago São Pedro e São Paulo (ASPSP), com ênfase nos Ecossistemas Recifais Mesofóticos (ERMs). As amostragens foram realizadas da superfície até a zona mesofótica (0 a 90 m de profundidade), utilizando SCUBA e Veículos Submersíveis de Operação Remota (VSORs). Esta tese é composta por quatro capítulos. No Capítulo 1 foi realizado uma avaliação quantitativa das comunidades de peixes, as quais formaram três comunidades distintas associadas aos diferentes estratos de profundidade e ao uso de diferentes hábitats de acordo com mudanças ontogenéticas (tamanho do corpo). Corais-negros e profundidade foram os fatores mais importantes na estruturação das comunidades de peixes, com uso intenso dos corais-negros por peixes na zona mesofótica. O Capítulo 2 apresenta a primeira avaliação qualitativa das comunidades bentônicas do ASPSP, além de uma avaliação da influência de variáveis bióticas e abióticas na estruturação das comunidades. Foram registrados 77 táxons bentônicos pertencentes a seis grupos. Macroalgas foi o grupo mais rico (41 táxons), com 17 novos registros para o ASPSP. Algas formadoras de tufos (turf) constituíram o grupo mais abundante em ambos os ambientes, eufótico e mesofótico. Foram observadas duas comunidades distintas: uma superficial composta principalmente pelo zoantídeo Palythoa caribaeorum, a pela alga Caulerpa racemosa carnuda, algas calcárias incrustantes (CCA) e Bryopsis spp, e outra mais profunda dominada por CCA, briozoários e corais escleractíneos. As variáveis abióticas, particularmente profundidade e luz, foram mais importantes na estrutura da comunidade bentônica. O Capítulo 3 traz informações sobre a abundância, distribuição, tamanho e vitalidade de corais-negros. Duas espécies de corais-negros, Tanacetipathes hirta (Gray, 1857) e T. thamnea (Warner, 1981), foram identificadas. Epibiose por zoantídeos e estrangulamento por monofilamentos afetaram negativamente as colônias de coral negro, uma delas monitorada durante dez anos. Esta última apresentou uma diminuição da vitalidade devido principalmente à presença de algas e estrangulamento por monofilamento. Corais-negros formam um grupo-chave na zona mesofótica do ASPSP, sendo intensamente utilizados como hábitat por diversos peixes recifais, principalmente espécies endêmicas (e.g., o peixe-borboleta Prognathodes obliquus). O Capítulo 4 aborda a ecologia do principal predador de invertebrados bentônicos na zona mesofótica do ASPSP, o verme-de-fogo Hermodice carunculata, descrevendo sua abundância e distribuição batimétrica e discutindo seu potencial em impactar as comunidades bentônicas, especialmente os corais escleractínios e os corais-negros na zona mesofótica do ASPSP. Observou-se um total de 278 indivíduos, com diferença significativa na abundância entre as zonas eufótica e mesofótica. Foi encontrada uma associação direta entre H. carunculata e 1) corais-negros (Tanacetipathes spp), 2) o coral escleractíneo Madracis decactis e 3) profundidade. Sugere-se aqui que os ecossistemas mesofóticos são essenciais para a estabilidade para as comunidades recifais eufóticas do ASPSP, tornando urgente a necessidade de novos estudos, principalmente com foco no potencial impacto da pesca e mudanças climáticas.

The fundamental components of a coral reef are coral, algae, and sand. At its simplest assessing the status of a coral reef may be reduced to quantifying the relative benthic cover of these three bottom-types. While in situ surveys can provide an accurate census on an individual reef scale (10s of meters), the only feasible method to surveys coral reefs on a reef tract (10-100s of kilometers) or worldwide scale is through the use of remote sensing. Remote sensing is a means of surveying entire ecosystems. A major issue in remote sensing of coastal environments is the confounding effects of the water column on the signal emerging from the water column. We used a simulation method to model differing levels of environmental parameters, which occur in marine ecosystems, with HydrolightEcolight 5. Simulated data were interpolated with actual bottom; type spectra to determine the accuracy of a classification function developed in MATLAB. The aim was to distinguish bottom-types as well as predict levels of water column parameters. The results of this study demonstrate that bottom-type (78% algae, 84% coral, and 94% sand) and chlorophyll concentration (85-90% across range) are well determined, while depth and suspended sediment load are not as well predicted (<70%) and has a tendency to slightly over predict depth.

The study presented in this thesis discusses the topic of ASRs through the use of a specific case study constructed at Boscombe, UK. With the main aim to provide an impartial and independent study into the environmental, social and economic impacts of an ASR. The research presented is therefore multidisciplinary in nature, the separate components utilise key techniques from the geophysical, numerical modelling and socio-economic disciplines are combined to present a significant contribution to the knowledge and understanding of ASRs. Whilst previous studies have focused on one of these disciplines, there are no independent detailed studies of a constructed ASR utilising an multidisciplinary approach. The ASR concept and structures are still in their development infancy, the subject has received cursory independent review in the literature. There have been few successful projects, those that have survived structurally in the ocean are not being used primarily for surfing. The Boscombe ASR is an example of high overspend, poor management and construction, loss of geotextile SFC and users deem the project a failure. The consequences of not correctly planning, managing and overseeing the construction has resulted in a poorly viewed project of limited success. All stages of this project could have benefited from thoughtful planning, thereby avoiding this outcome. If lessons are to be learnt from this project then the planning and management are key areas of the process that need addressing. Ensuring that any future ASR projects are securely integrated with the coastal zone management plan will provide sustainability and success. The DPSIR framework approach can be used to highlight and address the causes of problems in the project. This framework enables the various disciplines to be discussed in relation to each other; links can be identified between the environmental, social and economic impacts of the ASR construction. Strict protocols will increase the success of any ASR project. The final crest height of the Boscombe ASR was 0.5 m higher than the final design height, this is a fundamental design flaw that should not be occurring in modern coastal engineering practice. It is suggested that guidelines are written based on this research for the design and construction process of an ASR. The recommendations and guidelines for ASR monitoring are provided by this research. The emphasis for future projects should lie in the final design and in monitoring, baseline field data should be collected to understand the environmental state change and socio-economic impacts. Planning and government proposals should be accompanied by extensive stakeholder engagement ensuring transparency for the project and ownership within the coastal community. The exclusion of stakeholders at key decision points created distrust and misunderstanding towards the Boscombe ASR project. Avoiding unrealistic expectations within the surfing community and wider coastal community was discussed throughout this research, and by others in the literature. This research agrees with these statements, the issue of poor surfability would be improved by a greater area to manipulate the bathymetry. However this would come at a greatly increased cost in geotextile SFCs, which the current construction method is certainly not capable of delivering successfully. It would be recommended in this case that an alternative construction material was used that is resilient to the marine environment and readily adaptable given poor performance. Further testing of materials, both geotextile SFCs and alternatives, are required for the successful advancement of ASR technology.