Hot off the press! New insights into Atoll formation using numerical modeling

Please join me in congratulating GRG collaborator Dr Jinlong Liu  and the team on the publication of our new paper in the journal JGR Earth Surface.

Lui, J, Webster, J. M., Salles, T., Wang, S., Ma, Y., Xu, W., Li, G. and Yan, W., 2022. The formation of atolls: new insights from numerical simulations., 2022. Journal of Geophysical Research – Earth Surface, 127(8): e2022JF006812. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JF006812

Highlights

• The origin of atolls is due to spatially differential dissolution rather than preferential reef growth along margins of a flat-topped bank
• Preferential reef accretion along margins is mainly predicated on karstic morphology that has a central depression surrounded by raised rims
• Reef accretion on topographic highs in the lagoon can be similar to that on the margins when they are similar in elevation to the margins

This is an interesting paper that combines observational data from Meiji Atoll in the South China Sea and numerical modelling tools (Badlands) to explore various theories about how Atolls form.

Cheers

Jody

#MarineScienceSydneyUni