dr catherine collier & dr alex carter · davies, j. n., and m. a. rasheed. 2016. port of...

Light,turbidity,seagrassandwaterqualitytargets

Dr CatherineCollier&Dr AlexCarter

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2017-2019

Project3.2.1:Derivingecologically-relevantloadtargetstomeetdesiredecosystemconditionfortheGreatBarrierReef:acasestudyforseagrassmeadowsintheBurdekinregion

NESPno-regretsprojects2015

Project3.1:Seagrassmappingsynthesis:aresourceforcoastalmanagementintheGreatBarrierReefWorldHeritageArea(Carter,McKenna,Rasheed,McKenzie,Coles)

Project3.3:LightthresholdsforseagrassesoftheGBR:asynthesisandguidingdocumentformanagingseagrass(Collier,Chartrand,Honchin,Fletcher,Rasheed)

Project3.4:Developingandrefiningbiologicalindicatorsforseagrassconditionassessmentsinanintegratedmonitoringprogram(Collier,Langlois,Zemoi,Martin,McKenzie)

Project3.5:AssessmentofkeydugongandturtleresourcesinthenorthernTorresStrait(Carter&Rasheed)

NESPprojects

AlphabeticalDr CatherineCollier,JCUDr MatthewAdams,UQDr MarkBaird,CSIRODr JonBrodie,JCUARCDr AlexCarter,JCUDr RobColes,JCUDr KatherineMartin,GBRMPAMr LenMcKenzie,JCUDr KateO’Brien,UQDr MichaelRasheed,JCUDr MeganSaunders,UQ

3.2.1Projectteam

RIMRePDr JamesUdy,SUSADr EmmaLawrence,CSIRODr BillVenables,CSIRO

Desiredstate

2008

2011

2013

1.Attributesofahealthyecosystem:traditionalvalues

Informalinterviews(Gudjuda,Mandubarra,Yuku BajaMuliku)todiscusstraditionaluseofseagrassmeadows

Moretodo:wouldliketoformalise/documentthetraditionalusebyGudjuda andWulgurukaba.Providefeedbackontheworkwearedoingintohisproject.

2.Indicators

Desiredstateindicators• Seagrassarea*• Biomass*• Speciescomposition

*DependentondataavailabilityforGBR-wideassessment

Indicators– currentandpotentialSeagrassstatus• Spatialextent• Above-groundbiomass/percentcover• Below-groundbiomass,biomassratio• Speciescomposition

Seagrasscondition• Molecularmarkerse.g.metabolomicsandtranscriptomics• Physiologicalindicatorse.g.tissuenutrients,pigmentsandenergeticstatus

Resistance• Carbohydrates– NESP3.4• Geneticdiversity

Recoverycapacity/resilience• Reproductiveeffort• Seedbank

ERTsindicators• Seagrassarea/habitatsuitability• Biomass• Speciescomposition

DesiredstateHabitatclassification

1. Classifybydepth• Intertidal• Subtidal– shallow(<10m)• Subtidal– deep(>10m)

2.Classifybywaterbodies• Offshore• Reef• Coastal• Estuarine

3. Classifybypressures• Plumewater• Cumulativerisk

4.ClassifybyNRMregion

5.Classifybylocalsiteconditions(ClevelandBay)• Sediment• Relativeexposure

Habitatclassification






Habitatclassification– ClevelandBay

PoT fundedannualsurveysDavies,J.N.,andM.A.Rasheed.2016.PortofTownsvilleannualseagrassmonitoring.16/03,TropWATER,JamesCookUniversity,Cairns.

DRAFTHabitatclassification– ClevelandBay

EmmaLawrence,CSIRO

Hu/Hs/CsHu/CsCs/Hu/Zm highbiomassZm/HuZm/HolowbiomassZm highbiomass

ITEM_REL_m< 1.5

depth_cate=Dpsb,Shls

Sediment2=Reef,Rock,Rbbl,Sand

Sediment2=CrsS,Reef,Rock,Rbbl,Sand

WT2< 19.5

ITEM_REL_m>=1.5

depth_cate=Intr

Sediment2=CrsS,Mud

Sediment2=Mud

WT2>=19.5

7.48e+03 : n=2526

8.21e+03 : n=2047 1.26e+04 : n=1221

2.16e+03 : n=631

1.62e+03 : n=387 5.89e+03 : n=592

Error : 0.869 CV Error : 0.872 SE : 0.0231

IndividualspeciesandcommunitycompositionUsingRegressiontreeanalysis:• 10yearsofseagrassbiomass• Sedimentcategory,relativeintertidalexposure,depthcategory,watertype

Defining desired state thresholds

Wearelikelytodevelop:• Desiredstateof‘meadows’withinClevelandBay• DesiredstateofClevelandBay‘region’• GBR:DesiredstateofhabitattypewithinNRM(therewillbegaps)• GBR:DesiredstateofNRM(e.g.areaofhabitatsandspecieswithin

NRM)

• Annualdesiredstate(formonitoringetc)• Long-term(e.g.5or10year)desiredstate(forOutlooketc),which

accountsfordynamics

Stillfinalising themethodologicalapproachgiventheexpandedscope(i.e.GBR-wide)

Light thresholds, acute

Collier,C.J.,K.Chatrand,C.Honchin,A.Fletcher,andM.Rasheed.2016.LightthresholdsforseagrassesoftheGBR:asynthesisandguidingdocument.ReefandRainforestResearchCentre,Cairns.

NESPProject3.3

Light thresholds for seagrasses of the GBRWHA: a synthesis and guiding document

Including knowledge gaps and future priorities

Catherine Collier, Katie Chartrand, Carol Honchin, Adam Fletcher and Michael Rasheed

Final Report

• Reviewedallliteratureonlightthresholds• Summarised intableform• Recommendedlightthresholdsand

managementthresholds

• Acutelightthresholds(e.g.dredging)

Evaluate sediment loads to meet desired state

Acutelightexperiments(seagrassshading)

Acutelightthresholds

Dredgemanagementplans

ReefPlanERT’s

SeagrasshabitatSuitability/abundance

ThisprojectSedimentload

Targets

UpdatedEcologically-relevantsedimentloadtargets(ERTs)

Lightthresholdstomeetdesiredstate

ERTs2018-2019

1.UseRECOM,eReefs topredictseagrassareainClevelandBayunderdifferentloadscenarios(MatthewAdams,UQ&MarkBaird,CSIRO)

2.Habitatsuitabilityusingstatisticalmodels(MeganSaunders,UQ)• Quantifytherelationship:

• betweensedimentloads&seagrassarea• betweenpredicted andobserved

seagrassarea• Predictseagrasshabitatsuitabilitybasedon

loads• Relatetodesiredstate

2017• SeagrasshabitatclassificationfortheGBRandforClevelandBay• eReefs updates:inclusionof‘deepwater’seagrass,pre-Industrialand2013loads

forboundarylayerinRECOM,sheerstressmortality,nutrientuptakebyleaves• Desiredstateanalysisunderway• ExpandedlightmonitoringprograminClevelandBayEngagement• InformalTraditionalownerengagement• AnumberofworkshopsinCairns,TownsvilleandBrisbanewithexternalexperts

andtheRIMReP workinggroup.• EngagementwithRIMReP,GBRMPA,DEE• Emailupdatestoend-users

Majorachievementstodate

2018– 2019Researchactivities• CompletedesiredstateanalysisforClevelandBayandtheGBR• ValidateeReefs benthiclightoutputswithmeasuredinsitulight• DevelophabitatsuitabilitylayersforClevelandBay• IdentifyERTsthatmeetSeagrassDesiredState (eReefs andstatisticalmodels)• Comparetoexistingtargetsandprovideadviceasappropriate.

Engagement• Feedbacktoend-users(GBRMPA,OGBR,EHP,DEE,RIMReP)• Traditionalownersengagement• WorkonLinkageswithotherprojects:Project2.1.5(Lewisetal),Project2.3.1

(Fabricius etal),Project2.1.9(Jonesetal),Project3.1.7(Brooksetal)

Activitiestocome

Defining thresholds in a dynamic habitat

Davies,J.N.,andM.A.Rasheed.2016.PortofTownsvilleannualseagrassmonitoring.16/03,TropWATER,JamesCookUniversity,Cairns.

TSS loads from the Burdekin River, water yearTS

S lo

ads

(kt)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Defining desired state thresholds

• Dynamichabitat• Canweexpectmaximumconditiontoimprove(asper.LTSP)?• Considerprovidingrecommendationsaboutfrequencyofverygood,

orverypooryears

SettingdesiredstatefortheGBR• Datalimited• Wemaybaseiton:

• representationofhabitattypes• speciescompositionexpectedinhabitattypes• Rangeofexpectedbiomass/coverineachhabitat(withsome

estimateofconfidence).

dr catherine collier & dr alex carter · davies, j. n., and m. a. rasheed. 2016. port of...

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