Terrestrial pollutant runoff to the Great Barrier Reef: effects, causes, sources and management

Brodie, Jon E. (2016) Terrestrial pollutant runoff to the Great Barrier Reef: effects, causes, sources and management. PhD thesis, James Cook University.

[img]
Preview
PDF (Thesis)
Download (3MB) | Preview
View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.25903/vn9b-4c09
 
1073


Abstract

This thesis presents a cross-section of research on the development and application for management of water quality research on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and its catchment area undertaken by myself and colleagues between 1980 and 2016. Over this period, I have published ~90 peer-reviewed papers on this topic of which I was first author on 14 (Appendix 1) and ~300 other reports, conference papers and book chapters (Appendix 2). The small selection of papers presented as chapters in this thesis represent benchmarks in the progress of this research.

In this introductory chapter I present a background to this research including the historical and political contexts, and the development of research and management of water quality issues and controversies in the GBR region. The science to management analysis ends at the formation of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (Reef Plan 2003) in 2003. However, I review the science up to 2016 by discussing the debates towards the resolution of scientific questions for management. In this chapter I highlight all contributions on which I was an author in boldface.

In the final chapter I present an analysis of the success of management of the GBR since 2003, the current state of knowledge of the issue drawn from the 2013 Scientific Consensus Statement (Brodie et al. 2013a), including new knowledge gained in the period 2013 – 2016, a summary of the management plans being applied in 2016 and beyond, my own assessment of the management steps needed to improve water quality in the GBR lagoon such that GBR water quality guidelines are largely met, and the likelihood, in my estimation, of further substantive progress in managing the issue.

Item ID: 48864
Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Keywords: Acanthaster, Burdekin River, catchment management, chlorophyll, climate change, coral reef, crown-of-thorns starfish, eutrophication, flood plumes, Great Barrier Reef, land-derived pollution, management evaluation, marine park, modelling, monitoring, nutrient runoff, nutrients, pesticides, phytoplankton bloom, phytoplankton, pollution, runoff, remote sensing, seagrass, sediments, suspended sediments, terrestrial runoff, trends , Tully River, water quality management, water quality protection plan, water quality
Related URLs:
Additional Information:

Publications arising from this thesis are available from the Related URLs field. The publications are:

Chapter 3: Brodie, Jon, Fabricius, Katharina, De'ath, Glenn, and Okaji, Ken (2005) Are increased nutrient inputs responsible for more outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish? an appraisal of the evidence. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 51 (1-4). pp. 266-278.

Chapter 4: Brodie, Jon, Schroeder, Thomas, Rohde, Ken, Faithful, John, Masters, Bronwyn, Dekker, Arnold, Brando, Vittorio, and Maughan, Mirjam (2010) Dispersal of suspended sediments and nutrients in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon during river-discharge events: conclusions from satellite remote sensing and concurrent flood-plume sampling. Marine and Freshwater Research, 61 (6). pp. 651-664.

Chapter 5: Brodie, J., De'ath, G., Devlin, M., Furnas, M., and Wright, M. (2007) Spatial and temporal patterns of near-surface chlorophyll a in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Marine and Freshwater Research, 58 (4). pp. 342-353.

Chapter 6: Brodie, J.E., Devlin, M., Haynes, D., and Waterhouse, J. (2011) Assessment of the eutrophication status of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon (Australia). Biogeochemistry, 106 (2). pp. 281-302.

Chapter 7: Brodie, Jon, Lewis, Stephen, Bainbridge, Zoe, Mitchell, Alan, Waterhouse, Jane, and Kroon, Frederieke (2009) Target setting for pollutant discharge management of rivers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area. Marine and Freshwater Research, 60 (11). pp. 1141-1149.

Chapter 8: Brodie, J.E., Kroon, F.J., Schaffelke, B., Wolanski, E.C., Lewis, S.E., Devlin, M.J., Bohnet, I.C., Bainbridge, Z.T., Waterhouse, J., and Davis, A.M. (2012) Terrestrial pollutant runoff to the Great Barrier Reef: an update of issues, priorities and management responses. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9). pp. 81-100.

Chapter 9: Brodie, Jon, and Waterhouse, Jane (2012) A critical review of environmental management of the 'not so Great' Barrier Reef. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science , 104-105. pp. 1-22.

Date Deposited: 09 May 2017 03:38
FoR Codes: 05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0502 Environmental Science and Management > 050202 Conservation and Biodiversity @ 50%
05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0502 Environmental Science and Management > 050205 Environmental Management @ 50%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960507 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Marine Environments @ 50%
96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960501 Ecosystem Assessment and Management at Regional or Larger Scales @ 25%
96 ENVIRONMENT > 9605 Ecosystem Assessment and Management > 960503 Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Coastal and Estuarine Environments @ 25%
Downloads: Total: 1073
Last 12 Months: 8
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page