Dr Jim Falter

Senior Research Fellow

Research Interests Select Publications Contact details

Research Interests

I am generally interested in how the growth and metabolism of reef communities respond to climatic forcing via changes in their physical and chemical environment.  My current research is focused on understanding how fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus to coral reef communities are differentially forced by light, water motion, and nutrient availability through the growth of benthic reef primary producers; specifically calcification and net primary production.  I conduct most of my research through a combination of field observations, mesocosm experiments, and numerical modelling.

Select Publications

• Zhang Z, Lowe RJ, Falter JL, and Ivey G. (in press) A numerical model of wave- and current-driven nutrient uptake by coral reef communities, Ecol. Modelling.
• Cuet P, Atkinson MJ, Blanchot J, Cordier E, Falter JL, Frouin P, Fujimura H, Pierret C, Susuki Y, and Tourrand C (in press) CNP budgets of a coral-dominated fringing reef in La Reunion, France: coupling of oceanic phosphate and groundwater nitrate, Coral Reefs
• Falter JL, Atkinson MJ, Lowe RJ, Monismith SG, and Schar DW (2010) Short-term coherency between gross primary production and community respiration in an algal-dominated reef flat, Coral Reefs, doi: 10.1007/s00338-010-0671-9
• Lowe RJ, Falter JL, Atkinson MJ, and Monismith SG (2009) Numerical model of wave transformation and circulation within a barrier reef-lagoon system: Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 114, C06022, doi: 10.1029/2007JC004663
• Lowe RJ, Falter JL, Atkinson MJ, and Monismith SG (2008) Wave-driven circulation of a coastal reef-lagoon system, Journal of Physical Oceanography, DOI: 10.1175/2008JPO3958.1
• Falter JL, Lowe RJ, Atkinson MJ, Monismith SG, and Schar DW (2008) Continuous measurements of net production over a shallow reef community using a modified Eulerian approach, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 113, C07035, DOI: 10.1029/2007JC004663.
• Lowe RJ, Shavit U, Falter JL, Koseff JR and Monismith SG (2008) Modeling flow in coral communities with and without waves: a synthesis of porous media and canopy flow approaches, Limnology and Oceanography, 53: 2668-2680.
• Falter JL, Atkinson MJ, Lowe RJ, Monismith SG, and Koseff JR (2007) Effects of non-local turbulence on the mass transfer of dissolved species to reef corals. Limnology and Oceanograhpy, 52: 274-285.
• Lowe RJ, Falter JL, Koseff JR, Monismith SG & Atkinson MJ (2007) Spectral wave flow attenuation within submerged canopies: implications for wave energy dissipation, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 112, C05018, DOI: 10.1029/2006JC003605.
• Andrefouet S, Ouillon S, Brinkman R, Falter J, Douillet P, Wolk F, Smith R, Garen P, Martinez E, Laurent V, Lo C, Remoissenet G, Scourzic B, Gilbert A, Deleersnijder E, Steinberg C, Choukroun S, and Buestel D (2006) Review of solutions for 3D hydrodynamic modeling applied to aquaculture in South Pacific atoll lagoons. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 52(10): 1138-1155
• Falter JL, Atkinson MJ, Fleming JH, Bos MM, Lowe RJ, Koseff JR, and Monismith SG (2006) A novel flume for simulating the effects of wave-driven water motion on the biogeochemistry of benthic reef communities. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 4: 68-79
• Lowe RJ, Koseff JR, Monismith SG and Falter JL (2005) Oscillatory flow through submerged canopies. Part 2.  Canopy mass transfer, Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, 110, C10016, DOI: 10.1029/2004JC002789.
• Falter JL, Atkinson MJ, and Coimbra CF-M (2005) Effects of surface roughness and oscillatory flow on dissolution of plaster forms: evidence for nutrient mass transfer to coral reef communities, Limnology and Oceanography, 50: 246-254.
• Lowe RJ, Falter JL, Bandet MD, Pawlak G, Atkinson MJ, Monismith SG, and Koseff JR (2005) Spectral wave dissipation over a barrier reef, Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, 100: C04001.
• Falter JL, Atkinson MJ, and Merrifield MA (2004) Mass transfer limitation of nutrient uptake by a wave-dominated reef flat community, Limnology and Oceanography, 49:1820-1831.
• Atkinson MJ, Falter JL (2003) Biogeochemistry of Coral Reefs. In: Biogeochemistry of Marine Systems. Black KP, Shimmield GB [eds], CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, p 40-64.
• Hearn CJ, Atkinson MJ, and Falter JL (2002) Response to the comments by G. Symonds, K.P. Black, and I.R. Young on ‘A physical derivation of nutrient-uptake rates in coral reefs: effects of roughness and waves’, ERA = A, Coral Reefs, 21:319-321
• Atkinson MJ, Falter JL, and Hearn CJ (2001) Nutrient dynamics in the Biosphere 2 coral reef mesocosm: water velocity controls NH4 and PO4 uptake, Coral Reefs, 20:341-346.
• Hearn CJ, Atkinson MJ, and Falter JL (2001) A physical derivation of nutrient-uptake rates in coral reefs: effects of roughness and waves, Coral Reefs, 20:347-356.
• Falter JL, Atkinson MJ, Langdon C (2001) Production-respiration relationships at different time-scales within the Biosphere 2 coral reef biome, Limnology and Oceanography, 46:1653-1660
• Falter JL, Sansone FJ (2000) Hydraulic control of pore water geochemistry within the oxic-suboxic zone of a permeable sediment, Limnology and Oceanography, 45:550-557
• Falter JL, Sansone FJ (2000) Shallow pore water sampling in reef sediments, Coral Reefs, 19:93-97

Contact details

email: jim.falter@uwa.edu.au
Phone: 61 8 6488 7328