ABSTRACT
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Halimeda Banks on the GBR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 Tidal Jets, the Bernoulli Effect, and Nutrient Pumping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Intriguing Correlations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Involvement of Phytoplankton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 The Geological Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
The waters of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are, like most shallow tropical seas, very low in inorganic nutrients. Nevertheless, the GBR is renowned for its rich growth of marine plants and animals, all of which depend ultimately on those nutrient-intensive processes, photosynthesis and organic primary production. What are the sources of all the nitrates, ammonia, phosphates, and other essential nutrients needed for this ecosystem to thrive?
