An attempt is made to synthesize the geological properties, water quality attributes and aspects of the ecology of south-east Australian estuaries so as to provide a framework for addressing coastal management issues. The approach is based on the underlying causal factors of geology and morphology and more immediate environmental factors (e.g. salinity and sediments) which are associated with ecological distributions, species richness and fisheries catch. This ‘ broad brush ’ approach seeks to maximize reality and generality, albeit at the expense of precision and local variability in individual circumstances. It disregards small-scale ecological patterns as noise. Unlike in the Northern Hemisphere, conditions in temperate Australia are characterized by irregular flood and fire regimes that strongly influence estuary hydrology and nutrient inputs. Three main types of estuary (tide-dominated, wave-dominated and intermittently closed) are recognized based on geological criteria and having particular entrance conditions that control tidal exchange. Four zones (marine flood-tidal delta, central mud basin, fluvial delta and riverine channel/alluvial plain) are also recognized common to each type of estuary. These zones correspond to mappable sedimentary environments in all estuaries and have characteristic water quality, nutrient cycling/primary productivity signatures and ecosystems. The ecology of a zone is modified by (a) estuary type which determines the salinity regime; (b) stage of sediment filling (evolutionary maturity) which controls the spatial distribution/size of the zones; and (c) impacts of various forms of development. By using the zones/habitats as a common currency among all estuaries, it is possible to link ecological aspects such as species richness and commercial fisheries production so as to compare different estuaries or within-estuary zones.

Structure and Function of South-east Australian Estuaries

Metal accumulation within salt marsh environments: A review

Metallic and organic contaminants in sediments of Sydney Harbour, Australia and vicinity-- a chemical dataset for evaluating sediment quality guidelines.

Previous reviews of mangrove biology focused on the more extensive and diverse tropical examples, with those of temperate regions generally relegated to a footnote Temperate mangroves are distinctive in several ways, most obviously by the lower diversity of tree species Their occurrence in relatively developed countries has created different issues for mangrove management from those in the tropics Mangroves in several temperate areas are currently expanding, due to changes in river catchments, in contrast to their worldwide decline Information derived from the greater body of research from tropical regions has sometimes been applied uncritically to the management of temperate mangroves The growing body of information on the ecology of temperate mangroves is reviewed, with emphasis on productivity, response to anthropogenically enhanced rates of sediment accumulation, and potential effects of climate change There is no unique marine or estuarine fauna in temperate mangroves, but the poorly known terrestrial fauna includes mangrove-dependent species Although productivity generally declines with increasing latitude, there is overlap in the range of reported values between temperate and tropical regions and considerable within-region variation This, and variation in other ecologically important factors, makes it advisable to consider management of temperate mangroves on a case-by-case basis, for example, when responding to expansion of mangroves at a particular location

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The ecology and management of temperate mangroves

There have been significant changes in sea level over the past two million years, and a complete understanding of natural cycles of change as well as anthropogenic effects is imperative for future global development. This book reviews the history of research into these sea-level changes and summarises the methods and analytical approaches used to interpret evidence for sea-level changes. It provides an overview of changing climates during the Quaternary, examines processes responsible for global variability of sea-level records, and presents detailed reviews of sea-level changes for the Pleistocene and Holocene. The book concludes by discussing current trends in sea levels and likely future sea-level changes. This is an important and authoritative resource for academic researchers and graduate and advanced undergraduate students working in tectonics, stratigraphy, geomorphology, physical geography, environmental science and other aspects of Quaternary studies.

Quaternary Sea-Level Changes: A Global Perspective

The chronology of near-surface sediments in Lake Illawarra has been investigated using radiocarbon dating and anthropogenically derived substances including trace metals, ash, and137Cs. Sediments at depths about 1 m below the water-sediment interface ranged in age from Modern to 786 calendar years bp on the basis of radiocarbon dating ofNotospisula trigonella valves. Multiple marker (for example ash-trace metals) depth-concentration sediment profiles yielded estimates of sedimentation rate ranging from 3 to 5 mm yr−1 at Griffins Bay to more than 16 mm yr−1 at Macquarie Rivulet. Sedimentation rates of approximately 10 mm yr−1 appeared to be typical of the western and southwestern portions of the lagoon. Rates of sediment accretion, prior to catchment clearing, urbanization, and industrialization have been estimated at less than 1 mm yr−1, thus indicating a general tenfold increase in sediment accumulation adjacent to the western foreshore caused by catchment development. Accelerated sedimentation in shallow coastal lagoons constitutes significant environmental impacts including shoaling, degradation of seagrass beds, and increased turbidity with consequent loss of aesthetic appeal. Management policy should be directed at attempts to reduce the amount of sediment input by the construction of strategically placed sediment retention ponds. Siltation within the shallow embayments of Lake Illawarra could be ameliorated by a carefully planned program of dredging.

Anthropogenic marker evidence for accelerated sedimentation in Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia

Heavy metal concentrations in lagoonal saltmarsh species, Illawarra region, southeastern Australia

Major controls of the distribution pattern and abundance of living ostracod populations in Lake Illawarra, a coastal lagoon south of Wollongong, New South Wales, are salinity and the benthic flora. The biocenotic ostracod assemblage from the intertidal zone around Windang Island is a typical, diverse, upper sublittoral, open ocean fauna. The lake entrance channel, which is a transport corridor for marine sediments into the lagoon, has a restricted ostracod biocenose (14 species) but contains an additional 72 species in the diverse thanatocenose resulting from the mixing of estuarine and marine species. Within the lagoon, the benthic flora influences the ostracod distribution pattern with the most diverse assemblage (13 species) occurring in areas covered by seagrasses. Seagrass distribution is, in turn, controlled by water depth, circulation, turbidity and substrate. Estuarine ostracods associated with the seagrass beds can tolerate florally induced fluctuations in pH from 7 to 10 and in dissolved oxygen from 1 mg l-1 to 14 mg l-1. In the deeper parts of the lagoon with a predominantly mud substrate, the ostracod assemblage is dominated by Osticythere reticulata. Most samples retrieved from the most polluted part of the lagoon contained no ostracods. A total of 90 ostracod species and subspecies belonging to 50 genera has been identified; nine species: Cytheralison cosmetics, Callistocythere janiceburrowsae, Callistocythere windangensis, Neocytherideis anneclarkeae, Actinocythereis robustus, Bradleya rectangulata, Procythereis jonesi, Hemicytherura windangensis and Cytheropteron wrighti; and one subspecies, Callistocythere dorsotuberculata paucicostata, are described as new to science.

Ostracoda in Lake Illawarra: Environmental factors, assemblages and systematics.

The distribution of anthropogenically derived ash and metal contents of Lake Illawarra bottom sediments have shown that elevated concentrations of trace metals, particularly Zn, are linked to ash concentrations The highest concentrations of total metals (up to 10 times the locally defined background) were recorded from Griffins Bay, adjacent to the Port Kembla industrial complex Other sites investigated exhibited only slight trace metal enrichment in near-surface sediments, typically 14 to 2 times the background Analytical data from inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) indicate that the ratio of EDTA-extractable ratio:total metal present in the sediment generally decreases in the order Pb, Zn and Cu Lake sedimentation rates, calculated on the basis of metal and ash depth profiles, were found to lie in the range 69 to 16 mm year-1 and represent the most serious long-term environmental problem in the Illawarra region

Ash distribution and metal contents of Lake Illawarra bottom sediments

Sublittoral kelp forests, such as those occupying the wave-dominated shallow marine rocky substrata around Windang Island, New South Wales, provide an important habitat for ostracods. This is reflected in the diverse biocoenotic assemblage (69 species, including one new genus and three new species) and populations of juveniles recorded from this area. The thanatocoenotic assemblage contributes a further 37 ostracod species. The total assemblage is more diverse than, and has only 17 species in common with, the previously documented intertidal biocoenotic assemblages around Windang Island. The distribution of the more abundant ostracod species reflects the energy levels within the environment, with a greater proportion of smooth-shelled forms occurring in the higher-energy zones at shallow depths. Most of the thanatocoenose population represents species moved up from the deeper shelf or into the region from the adjacent tidal channel into Lake Illawarra, rather than species from the intertidal region around Windang Island.

I. Yassini

Papers

Anthropogenic marker evidence for accelerated sedimentation in Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia

Heavy metal concentrations in lagoonal saltmarsh species, Illawarra region, southeastern Australia

Ostracoda in Lake Illawarra: Environmental factors, assemblages and systematics.

Ash distribution and metal contents of Lake Illawarra bottom sediments

Ostracod fauna associated with sublittoral kelp forest vegetation at Windang Island, New South Wales, Australia