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Determining the ecological health of key estuaries in North-Western Tasmania

This study considered a range of water-column and sediment (benthos) based variables commonly used to monitor estuaries,utilising estuaries on the North-West Coast of Tasmania (Duck, Montagu, Detention, and Black River). These included: salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nutrient and chlorophyll a levels for the water-column; and sediment redox, organic carbon content, chlorophyll a and macroinvertebrate community structure amongst the benthos. In addition to comparing reference with impacted estuaries, comparisons were also made across seasons, commensurate with seasonal changes in freshwater river input, and between regions within estuaries (upper and lower reaches) - previously identified in Hirst et al. (2005). This design enabled us to examine whether the detection of impacts (i.e. differences between reference and impacted systems) was contingent on the time and location of sampling or independent of these factors. This data includes sampling from Duck River, Montagu River, Detention River, and Black River.

Simple

Identification info

Date (Creation)
2015-03-30T12:45:00

Principal investigator

Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) - Crawford, Christine, Dr
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia
61 3 6227 7277
ORCID ID >

Collaborator

Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) - Hirst, Alastair, Dr
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia

Collaborator

Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) - Kilpatrick, Robert
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia

Collaborator

Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) - Guest, Michaela, Dr
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia

Collaborator

Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) - Probst, Tobias
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia
Purpose
Here we utilize a comparative approach where putative impacts within two estuaries (Duck and Montagu River) are determined via comparison with two reference estuaries deemed to be relatively free of human impacts (Detention and Black River).
Credit
Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) Project No. 52508
Credit
Natural Resource Managment (NRM) Cradle Coast
Status
Completed

Principal investigator

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS) - Crawford, Christine, Dr
IMAS - Taroona
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia
61 3 6227 7277
ORCID ID >

Point of contact

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS) - Ross, Jeff, Dr
IMAS - Taroona
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia
61 3 6227 7281
61 3 6227 8035 (facsimile)
ORCID ID >

Temporal resolution
P0Y4M0DT0H0M0S
Topic category
  • Oceans

Extent

N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


Temporal extent

Time period
2005-10-01T00:00:00 2006-07-31T00:00:00

Vertical element

Minimum value
0
Maximum value
1
Identifier
EPSG::5715
Name
MSL depth
Maintenance and update frequency
Not planned

Resource format

Title
Microsoft Excel (xls)
Date
Edition
2003
Keywords (Theme)
  • Human impact
  • Degradation
  • Benthic macroinvertebrates
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords Version 8.0
  • CHLOROPHYLL
  • NUTRIENTS
  • TURBIDITY
  • OXYGEN
  • SALINITY
  • WATER TEMPERATURE
  • INTERTIDAL ZONE
  • BENTHIC HABITAT
  • ESTUARINE HABITAT
  • WATER QUALITY
Keywords (Discipline)
  • Temperate Reef
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC): Fields of Research
  • Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology)
  • Aquatic Ecosystem Studies and Stock Assessment
  • Natural Resource Management
AODN Discovery Parameter Vocabulary
  • Practical salinity of the water body
  • Temperature of the water body
  • Saturation of oxygen {O2} in the water body [dissolved phase]
  • Turbidity of the water body
  • Concentration of nitrate {NO3} per unit volume of the water body
  • Concentration of nitrite {NO2} per unit volume of the water body
  • Concentration of nitrate and nitrite {NO3 and NO2} per unit volume of the water body
  • Concentration of ammonium {NH4} per unit volume of the water body
  • Concentration of chlorophyll-a per unit volume of the water body

Resource constraints

Classification
Unclassified

Resource constraints

Use limitation
The data described in this record are the intellectual property of the University of Tasmania through the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute.

Resource constraints

Linkage
http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/2.5/au/88x31.png

License Graphic

Title
Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia License


>

Website
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/

License Text

Other constraints
The citation in a list of references is: citation author name/s (year metadata published), metadata title. Citation author organisation/s. File identifier and Data accessed at (add http link).

Associated resource

Title
Tasmanian Estuaries Monitoring
Date (Creation)
2011-11-16T00:00:00
Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8
Supplemental Information
Hirst, A., Kilpatrick, R., Guest, M., Probst, T., & Crawford, C. (1997). Determining the ecological health of estuaries in NW Tasmania: A case study assessing the status of the Duck, Montagu, Detention and Black River Estuaries. NHT Final Report, Project No. 52508

Content Information

Content type
Physical measurement

Identifier

Code
Practical salinity of the water body
Identifier
http://vocab.aodn.org.au/def/unitsofmeasure/entity/481
Name
Practical Salinity Unit

Identifier

Code
Temperature of the water body
Identifier
http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UPAA
Name
Degrees Celsius
Description
percentage saturation of dissolved oxygen (DO)

Identifier

Code
Saturation of oxygen {O2} in the water body [dissolved phase]
Identifier
http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UPCT
Name
Percent

Identifier

Code
Turbidity of the water body
Identifier
http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/USTU
Name
Nephelometric Turbidity Units

Identifier

Code
Concentration of nitrate {NO3} per unit volume of the water body
Identifier
http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UGPL
Name
Micrograms per litre

Identifier

Code
Concentration of nitrite {NO2} per unit volume of the water body
Identifier
http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UGPL
Name
Micrograms per litre

Identifier

Code
Concentration of nitrate and nitrite {NO3 and NO2} per unit volume of the water body
Name
NOx

Identifier
http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UGPL
Name
Micrograms per litre

Identifier

Code
Concentration of ammonium {NH4} per unit volume of the water body
Name
NH4

Identifier
http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UGPL
Name
Micrograms per litre

Identifier

Code
Concentration of chlorophyll-a per unit volume of the water body
Identifier
http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UGPL
Name
Micrograms per litre

Distribution Information

OnLine resource
DATA ACCESS - Ecological Health data for four estuaries [direct download, CSV]

OnLine resource
REPORT - final project report [direct download]

OnLine resource
imas:NH2_CMCrawford_Ecological_health_GV

MAP - Locations of estuary sampling for determining ecological health

OnLine resource
imas:NH2_CMCrawford_Ecological_health_GV

This OCG WFS service provides the data in subsettable CSV format.

OnLine resource
View and download this data through the interactive IMAS Data Portal.

Resource lineage

Statement
Estuaries were also divided into clearly definable upper and lower regions, with 3 sites within each region sampled. Each estuary was visited on four occasions during the course of this study to measure a range of water quality (salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidty, nutrients, chlorophyll a), benthic (sediment organic carbon, redox and chlorophyll a) and biological (macroinvertebrates) parameters. Estuaries were initially visited in October 2005 (spring) followed by visits in January (summer), April (autumn) and July (winter). Nutrient dynamics and physicochemical status of the water column With the exception of salinity and dissolved oxygen all water column parameters were measured at low tide. This enabled standardization of measurements in relation to tidal phase, whilst measuring nutrient levels at their maximum concentrations (see Hirst et al. 2005). Variables measured included (NB: all measurements were made in surface waters at LT unless otherwise stated): 1. Salinity (surface and bottom measurements) at low and high tide 2. Dissolved oxygen concentration (surface and bottom measurements) at low and high tide 3. Turbidity 4. Temperature 5. Dissolved nutrient concentrations including ammonium (NH4-N), nitrate and nitrite (NOx-N) and soluble reactive phosphorous (P) 6. Chlorophyll a concentrations Measurements were made mid-channel (i.e. equidistant from either bank where possible) within surface waters <30 cm depth. Salinity, DO and turbidity were measured in the field using meters. Nutrient levels were determined later in the lab from water samples collected in the field. Water samples were stored on ice in the field then later frozen. Soluble ammonium, nitrate, nitrate and reactive phosphorous were analysed by Analytical Services Tasmania. Chlorophyll a levels were determined by filtering water samples in the field onto GF/F Whatman filters, chlorophyll extracted from filters with 90% v/v acetone (90% v/v) over a 24 hour period in darkness at 4 °C, then determined spectrophotometrically. Chlorophyll a levels were used as a proxy for water-borne microalgal biomass in this study. Sediments Sediment organic carbon, redox potential and chlorophyll a levels were determined for sediments adjacent to the water column sampling sites. Samples were taken just below the low water mark at low tide. Sediment organic carbon content was derived from 45 mm diameter cores to a depth of 50 mm; sediment chlorophyll a from three replicate micro-cores 22 mm diameter inserted to a depth of 15 mm (following Light and Beardall 1999). Sediments were frozen in the field and returned to the laboratory for analysis. Organic carbon content of sediments was determined via chemical titration. This has been found to be a more accurate method than the loss on ignition (LOI) method used previously in Hirst et al. (2005). Chlorophyll a was measured as a proxy for microalgal biomass in the sediments. Chlorophyll was extracted from the sediments with acetone (90% v/v) over a 24 hour period in darkness at 4 °C, and then determined spectrophotometrically. Sediment from which chlorophyll a was extracted was dried at 80 °C for 48 h and weighed allowing for chlorophyll a concentration to be expressed as μg of chlorophyll a per g of dried sediment (ug g-1). The redox potential of the sediment was measured in situ using a pH/redox probe at a depth of 30 mm below the surface. Redox potential was corrected for differences in ambient temperature between sampling dates prior to analysis. Benthic macroinvertebrates The diversity and composition of the soft sediment macroinvertebrate fauna in each estuary was determined using replicated sediment cores collected at each site. At each site five sediment cores (diameter = 150 mm, depth = 100 mm) were collected from subtidal sediments using a transect spanning from the low water mark to depth of approximately 0.7 m as a guide. Cores were collected at 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 0.7 m depths. Cores were then sieved through a 1.0 mm-mesh sieve in the field and the portion retained was fixed in 5% buffered formalin. Salinity and DO measurements corresponding with the scale of the macroinvertebrate sampling were also made by resting the probes on the sediment. This information was later used to examine correlations between macroinvertebrate assemblage structure and environmental variables. Samples were sorted in the lab to the lowest possible taxonomic level and the number of individuals of each taxa recorded. This information was used to calculated species richness (i.e. no. of taxa), total faunal abundance and species composition for each site by amalgamating the replicate samples (i.e. totals not means).
Hierarchy level
Dataset

Metadata

Metadata identifier
872e3599-9328-483e-8503-130158f80980

Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8

Point of contact

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS) - IMAS Data Manager

Type of resource

Resource scope
Dataset
Metadata linkage
https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/872e3599-9328-483e-8503-130158f80980

Point of truth URL of this metadata record

Date info (Creation)
2020-08-14T11:44:21
Date info (Revision)
2020-08-14T11:44:21

Metadata standard

Title
ISO 19115-3:2018
 
 

Overviews

Spatial extent

N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


N
S
E
W


Keywords

Benthic macroinvertebrates Degradation Human impact
AODN Discovery Parameter Vocabulary
Concentration of ammonium {NH4} per unit volume of the water body Concentration of chlorophyll-a per unit volume of the water body Concentration of nitrate and nitrite {NO3 and NO2} per unit volume of the water body Concentration of nitrate {NO3} per unit volume of the water body Concentration of nitrite {NO2} per unit volume of the water body Practical salinity of the water body Saturation of oxygen {O2} in the water body [dissolved phase] Temperature of the water body Turbidity of the water body
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC): Fields of Research
Aquatic Ecosystem Studies and Stock Assessment Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) Natural Resource Management
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords Version 8.0
BENTHIC HABITAT CHLOROPHYLL ESTUARINE HABITAT INTERTIDAL ZONE NUTRIENTS OXYGEN SALINITY TURBIDITY WATER QUALITY WATER TEMPERATURE

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