The Key Impact on Water Quality of Coral Reefs in Kenting National Park

Chung Chi Chen; Hung Yen Hsieh; Anderson B. Mayfield; Chia Ming Chang; Jih Terng Wang; Pei Jie Meng

doi:10.3390/jmse10020270

The Key Impact on Water Quality of Coral Reefs in Kenting National Park

Chung Chi Chen, Hung Yen Hsieh, Anderson B. Mayfield, Chia Ming Chang, Jih Terng Wang^*, Pei Jie Meng^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Life Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Southern Taiwan’s Kenting National Park is a popular retreating place for many domestic and international tourists, with increasing tourist numbers potentially over-burdening the coastal ecosystems. To better understand human impacts, a long-term ecological research program was initiated in 2001 to track water quality at 14 coral reef-abutting sites throughout the park since then. Extracting the data from this 20-year survey, we found that increasing in the nutrient levels during the summer rainy season, together with the drops in salinity led by freshwater inputs (land-& rainfall-derived), was the main impact to coral reef ecosystem of Kenting. Cluster analysis further confirmed the nutrient influx was mainly attributed to the local discharge outlets with dense of villages and hotels at upstream. Therefore, more efforts are needed to input to control tourist number, treat waste water discharge and strengthen land protection facilities.

Original language	English
Article number	270
Journal	Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Volume	10
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10020270
Publication status	Published - 2022 Feb

Keywords

Anthropogenic impacts
Coral reefs
Nutrients
Rainfall
Seawater quality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Civil and Structural Engineering
Water Science and Technology
Ocean Engineering

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.3390/jmse10020270

Cite this

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title = "The Key Impact on Water Quality of Coral Reefs in Kenting National Park",

abstract = "Southern Taiwan{\textquoteright}s Kenting National Park is a popular retreating place for many domestic and international tourists, with increasing tourist numbers potentially over-burdening the coastal ecosystems. To better understand human impacts, a long-term ecological research program was initiated in 2001 to track water quality at 14 coral reef-abutting sites throughout the park since then. Extracting the data from this 20-year survey, we found that increasing in the nutrient levels during the summer rainy season, together with the drops in salinity led by freshwater inputs (land-& rainfall-derived), was the main impact to coral reef ecosystem of Kenting. Cluster analysis further confirmed the nutrient influx was mainly attributed to the local discharge outlets with dense of villages and hotels at upstream. Therefore, more efforts are needed to input to control tourist number, treat waste water discharge and strengthen land protection facilities.",

keywords = "Anthropogenic impacts, Coral reefs, Nutrients, Rainfall, Seawater quality",

author = "Chen, {Chung Chi} and Hsieh, {Hung Yen} and Mayfield, {Anderson B.} and Chang, {Chia Ming} and Wang, {Jih Terng} and Meng, {Pei Jie}",

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doi = "10.3390/jmse10020270",

language = "English",

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journal = "Journal of Marine Science and Engineering",

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AU - Chen, Chung Chi

AU - Hsieh, Hung Yen

AU - Mayfield, Anderson B.

AU - Chang, Chia Ming

AU - Wang, Jih Terng

AU - Meng, Pei Jie

PY - 2022/2

Y1 - 2022/2

N2 - Southern Taiwan’s Kenting National Park is a popular retreating place for many domestic and international tourists, with increasing tourist numbers potentially over-burdening the coastal ecosystems. To better understand human impacts, a long-term ecological research program was initiated in 2001 to track water quality at 14 coral reef-abutting sites throughout the park since then. Extracting the data from this 20-year survey, we found that increasing in the nutrient levels during the summer rainy season, together with the drops in salinity led by freshwater inputs (land-& rainfall-derived), was the main impact to coral reef ecosystem of Kenting. Cluster analysis further confirmed the nutrient influx was mainly attributed to the local discharge outlets with dense of villages and hotels at upstream. Therefore, more efforts are needed to input to control tourist number, treat waste water discharge and strengthen land protection facilities.

AB - Southern Taiwan’s Kenting National Park is a popular retreating place for many domestic and international tourists, with increasing tourist numbers potentially over-burdening the coastal ecosystems. To better understand human impacts, a long-term ecological research program was initiated in 2001 to track water quality at 14 coral reef-abutting sites throughout the park since then. Extracting the data from this 20-year survey, we found that increasing in the nutrient levels during the summer rainy season, together with the drops in salinity led by freshwater inputs (land-& rainfall-derived), was the main impact to coral reef ecosystem of Kenting. Cluster analysis further confirmed the nutrient influx was mainly attributed to the local discharge outlets with dense of villages and hotels at upstream. Therefore, more efforts are needed to input to control tourist number, treat waste water discharge and strengthen land protection facilities.

KW - Anthropogenic impacts

KW - Coral reefs

KW - Nutrients

KW - Rainfall

KW - Seawater quality

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The Key Impact on Water Quality of Coral Reefs in Kenting National Park

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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