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The Tonga-Kermadec arc in the SW Pacific comprises a chain of more than 90 volcanic complexes. A continuous 400-km long chain of volcanic activity along the central portion of the Tonga arc has become the focus of intensive research, extending previous studies that have focused on the southern Kermadec chain. Earlier interpretations of the Tonga arc have focused on a perceived lack of volcanism between ~21°S and ~27°S, adjacent to a bend in the trench caused by the collision of the subducting Louisville Seamount Chain (LSC). During swath mapping in 2002, it was revealed that this portion of the arc, including the Louisville and Monowai segments, is in fact one of the most volcanically active parts of the Tonga-Kermadec system. At this location, a combination of oblique convergence of the Pacific Plate and southward compression due to the collision of the LSC has resulted in left-lateral strike-slip faulting and rifting of the arc crust. This has produced a series of left-stepping arc transverse graben and horst structures that localize the voluminous volcanic activity. For this study, a new 1:250,000 scale geological map of the Louisville and Monowai segments has been constructed as a framework for a quantitative analysis of arc volcanism and the eruptive history of these segments. Two types of volcanoes dominate the arc front: deep caldera systems (collapse structures formed due to the evacuation of magma) within the arc rifts, and smaller volcanic cones between the rifts. The cone volcanoes tend to have small summit craters (<10 km3) whereas the large caldera volcanoes have major depressions of up to 50 km3. The cones are relatively undeformed, whereas the larger calderas are affected by multiple stages of collapse, asymmetric subsidence, and distortion caused by regional stresses. Surveys of the crater walls of the cone volcanoes show a predominance of volcaniclastic deposits, whereas the caldera volcanoes contain a high proportion of coherent lava flows. The caldera volcanoes also show a prevalence of basaltic melts compared to the more andesitic and dacitic cones. The largest caldera volcano is the Monowai volcanic complex (25°53’S) occupying a deep depression (Monowai Rift Graben) that crosses the arc front. The volcanic complex consists of a large caldera (12 km wide, 1600 m deep) and an adjacent stratovolcano (Monowai Cone) rising nearly to sea level. We suggest that the different types of volcanoes along the Louisville and Monowai segments reflect the influence of deep structures within the arc crust that have localized strikeslip and normal faulting.

This dissertation explores the influence of the environment on the lateral spatial patterning of facies in modern isolated carbonate platforms through six studies. The first study describes the creation of a database of benthic habitat and bathymetric maps derived from multispectral satellite imagery and the field data used calibrate and validate the mapping algorithms. The second study develops and assesses a new approach for remotely-deriving water depth from multispectral satellite imagery without the need for ground-truth information. The third study identifies a criterion for distinguishing between facies belts and mosaics and deploys the criterion to investigate the co-occurrence of these arrangements within modern carbonate depositional systems. The fourth study explores the geologic history of an isolated carbonate platform in the Bahamas, Cay Sal Bank, to understand why the lateral spatial pattering observed in this site differs from the patterns observed in neighboring platforms. The fifth study explores the distribution of carbonate facies in relation to wave energy and water depth for two detached ramps in the Red Sea, Ras Al-Qisbah and Al Wajh. The last study investigates the recovery of scleractinian communities along the coasts of two islands in the Galapagos archipelago, Darwin and Wennman (Wolf) Islands, following a large-scale disturbance in the 1980s. Together, these six studies provide new insight into the spatial patterning of facies within modern carbonate depositional systems and the influence of the environment on the observed arrangements.

Artificial reefs are becoming a popular biological and management component in shallow water environments characterized by soft seabed, representing both important marine habitats and tools to manage coastal fisheries and resources. An artificial reef in the marine environment acts as an open system with exchange of material and energy, altering the physical and biological characteristics of the surrounding area. Reef stability will depend on the balance of scour, settlement, and burial resulting from ocean conditions over time. Because of the unstable nature of sediments, they require a detailed and systematic investigation. Acoustic systems like high-frequency multibeam sonar are efficient tools in monitoring the environmental evolution around artificial reefs, whereas water turbidity can limit visual dive and ROV inspections. A high-frequency multibeam echo sounder offers the potential of detecting fine-scale distribution of reef units, providing an unprecedented level of resolution, coverage, and spatial definition. How do artificial reefs change over time in relation to the coastal processes? How accurately does multibeam technology map different typologies of artificial modules of known size and shape? How do artificial reefs affect fish school behavior? What are the limitations of multibeam technology for investigating fish school distribution as well as spatial and temporal changes? This study addresses the above questions and presents results of a new approach for artificial reef seafloor mapping over time, based upon an integrated analysis of multibeam swath bathymetry data and geoscientific information (backscatter data analysis, SCUBA observations, physical oceanographic data, and previous findings on the geology and sedimentation processes, integrated with unpublished data) from Senigallia artificial reef, northwestern Adriatic Sea (Italy) and St. Petersburg Beach Reef, west-central Florida continental shelf. A new approach for observation of fish aggregations associated with Senigallia reef based on the analysis of multibeam backscatter data in the water column is also explored. The settlement of the reefs and any terrain change are investigated over time providing a useful description of the local hydrodynamics and geological processes. All the artificial structures (made up by water-based concrete for Senigallia reef and mainly steel for St. Petersburg Beach reef) are identified and those showing substantial horizontal and/or vertical movements are analyzed in detail. Most artificial modules of Senigallia reef are not intact and scour signatures are well depicted around them, indicating reversals of the local current. This is due to both the wind pattern and to the quite close arrangement of the reef units that tend to deflect the bottom flow. As regards to the St. Petersburg Beach reef, all the man-made steel units are still in their upright position. Only a large barge shows a gradual collapse of its south side, and presents well-developed scouring at its east-northeast side, indicating dominant bottom flow from west-southwest to east-northeast. While an overall seafloor depth shallowing of about 0.30 m from down-current deposits was observed for Senigallia reef, an overall deepening of about 0.08 m due to scour was observed at the St. Petersburg Beach reef. Based on the backscatter data interpretation, surficial sediments are coarser in the vicinities of both artificial reefs than corresponding surrounding sediments. Scouring reveals this coarser layer underneath the prevalent mud sediment at Senigallia reef, and the predominant silt sediment at St. Petersburg Beach reef. In the ten years of Senigalia reef study, large-scale variations between clay and silt appear to be directly linked to large flood events that have occurred just prior to the change. As regards the water column investigation, acoustic backscatter from fish aggregations gives detailed information on their morphology and spatial distribution. In addition, relative fish biomass estimates can be extrapolated. Results suggest that most of the fish aggregations are generally associated with the artificial modules showing a tendency for mid- and bottom-water depth distribution than for the surface waters. This study contributes to understanding the changes in artificial reefs over time in relation to coastal processes. Moreover, the preliminary results concerning the water column backscatter data represents progress in fisheries acoustics research as a result of three-dimensional acoustics. They demonstrate the benefits of multibeam sonar as a tool to investigate and quantify size distribution and geometry of fish aggregations associated with shallow marine habitats.