Sediment and nutrient flux from land
Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Increased delivery of sediment and nutrients from the land threatens the health and productivity of key ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. This chapter is an update to the Furnas and Mitchell (2000) “Runoff of terrestrial sediment and nutrients into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area” chapter from the first edition and incorporates our latest understanding of GBR catchment sediment and nutrient generation processes, transport, and transformations. We provide a review of the history of monitoring and research in the GBR Catchment Area (GBRCA) that has led to improved estimates of sediment and nutrient loads and how it has changed over time under catchment development. This includes targeted monitoring, tracing, and modelling approaches and proxy-based evidence within both the catchment and lagoon. This review emphasises the increasing use of the latest high temporal frequency near real time sensor technologies to capture the complexity of hydrology, sediment and nutrient runoff at small-scale tributary sites, including the highly elevated concentrations associated with the first-flush runoff. We present the latest ‘best available’ load estimates from each of the 35 basins of the GBRCA for fine sediment (< 20 µm fraction), particulate nitrogen and phosphorus, and dissolved inorganic nitrogen. Finally, we consider the available management options to reduce the loads of sediment and nutrients delivered to the GBR lagoon that include policy instruments.
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Publication Name
Oceanographic Processes of Coral Reefs: Physical and Biological Links in the Great Barrier Reef
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ISBN/ISSN
9781032340746
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Pages Count
17
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Publisher
CRC Press
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Publisher Location
Boca Raton, FL, USA
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DOI
10.1201/9781003320425-10