Skeletal Growth Rates in Porites lutea Corals from Pulau Tinggi, Malaysia
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Letter to Authors
water-1501884-v1
Skeletal Growth Rates in Porites lutea Corals from Pulau Tinggi, Malaysia
Chai Kee Ong, Jen Nie Lee, Jani Thuaibah Isa Tanzil
211202
Dear authors,
Your MS describing coral reef damage with thermal stresses and its subsequent resilience is worth publishing in an international journal, if adequately written. Before publication, however, the current MS needs some revision for improvement. Use of terms, names of local things and abbreviations is somewhat inconsistent. How to make your MS clear, direct, strong and straightforward is eventually how to save readers' short term memory when reading. See below for detail.
L28 keywards
Porites lutea; coral skeletal growth -> replace
Do not list words which appear also in the title. Duplicate hits upon computer search do not make sense. Give words that do not appear in the title to draw attention from wider readership. Posting words that neither appear in the abstract is better, because even in full-text search/indexing robots may not weigh much on words deeper (posterior) in the text. Hint: global warming, coral bleaching, oceanic carbon cycle, tropical fish habitat, ecosystem service, Cnidaria, Anthozoa, hermatypic, reef-building, ossicle, sclerochronology, etc.
L42
In Malaysia -> Along the coast of Thai-Malay Peninsula
L43
around the Thai-Malay Peninsula -> delete
L45
Tanzil et al. [10] found -> {our, a} previous study [10] revealed
L49
by Tanzil et al. -> delete
L54
a follow-on study to Tanzil et al. -> a follow-on to a previous study
L74 figure picture
Set the sub-figure (b) clearly as an inset. I can see thin lines at upper and right sides, but cannot at left and lower sides even upon 400% magnification. Enclose the sub-figure with a rectangle to show it clearly in an inset.
L82
(TGI) -> delete
This abbreviation seem to stand not for coral cores but for the island. See subsequent figure legend. Be careful always introducing abbreviations to avoid overflow of readers' short term memory spaces when reading.
L86
The coral cores -> The coral cores (TGI cores)
L94
by Tanzil et al. -> previously
L95
TGI corals -> coral samples
L129
red-line. -> red-line drawn from IGOSS data [24].
SST data was .. covering the 130 study site. (redundant) -> delete
L147,148 figure 3
Swap skeletal bulk density (b) and calcification rate (c) to fit with the order in the text.
L161,162 figure 4
Swap skeletal bulk density (b) and calcification rate (c) to fit with the order in the text.
L170,190
P. Tinggi -> Pulau Tinggi
L180
sea surface temperatures (SSTs) -> SSTs
Use abbreviations consistently to save readers' memory spaces.
L200
suggests (weak) -> indicates
L213-215
at the Mesoamerican Reef where .. recovered within 2-3 years -> delete
Do not make a simple reference list (A stated this, B analyzed that, C argued it, or alike). Use noun phrases to make abstract contents of those references. You have successfully abstracted it as "faster recovery rates at sites with lower environmental stressors".
L218
current found -> currently detected
L234
Tanzil et al. 2013 -> a previous study [10]
L241
by Tanzil et al. -> delete
L246
recovery able to recover to (repeated words) -> recovery able to achieve again
L287 references
Check the reference list carefully again from the beginning. Reference lists are frequently hotbeds of errors. You might add, omit or swap citation in the main text on the way internal revision. Numbering of the references might then shift. If so, readers think you are making irrelevant citation. It is the authors' responsibility that all references are properly cited.
L302,306,etc
Make sure if journal titles are abbreviated accompanying a dot. Check thoroughly.
L315
[Dataset] -> to the top of report title ?
L325
Reef Check Malaysia Status of coral reefs in Malaysia 2019 -> Reef Check Malaysia. <i>Status of Coral Reefs in Malaysia 2019</i> ?
L327,361,etc
Make sure if book titles are in Title case. Check thoroughly.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
The manuscript water-1501884 reports interesting data on skeletal growth rates in Porites lutea coral.
The methodological approach is correct and adequate to the research. The manuscript is well organized and well written.
The discussion is sufficiently argued, but needs to be implemented. For example, the relationship between skeletal bulk density and temperature seems to be bimodal (different with respect to those of linear extension rate and calcification rate). Also regarding the temporal trend I see some similarities between linear extension rate and calcification rate and differences with skeletal bulk density. The Authors should discuss these results, making some hypotheses.
I consider that this manuscript is appropriate for publication in Water after a little revision and a rereading by the Authors, to resolve some typos.
Author Response
Please see the attachment.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
