The Experts below are selected from a list of 300 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Jon Brodie - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Securing the future of the Great Barrier Reef
Nature Climate Change, 2015Co-Authors: Terry P. Hughes, Jon C. Day, Jon BrodieAbstract:The decline of the Great Barrier Reef can be reversed by improvements to governance and management: current policies that promote fossil fuels and economic development of the Reef region need to be reformed to prioritize long-term protection from climate change and other stressors.
-
Assessment of the eutrophication status of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon (Australia)
Biogeochemistry, 2010Co-Authors: Jon Brodie, Michelle Devlin, David Haynes, Jane WaterhouseAbstract:Current scientific consensus is that inshore regions of the central and southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, are at risk of impacts from increased nutrient (as well as sediment and pesticide) loads delivered to Reef waters. Increases in the discharge of water quality contaminants to the Reef are largely a consequence of the expansion of agricultural practices in northern Queensland catchments following European settlement in the 1850s. In particular, the presence of elevated chlorophyll a and nutrient concentrations in many parts of the inshore Great Barrier Reef together with intense and extensive phytoplankton blooms following the discharge of nutrient-rich river flood waters suggest that the central and southern inshore area of the Great Barrier Reef is likely to be significantly impacted by elevated nutrient loads. The biological consequences of this are not fully quantified, but are likely to include changes in Reef condition including hard and soft coral biodiversity, macroalgal abundance, hard coral cover and coral recruitment, as well as change in seagrass distribution and tissue nutrient status. Contemporary government policy is centered around promotion and funding of better catchment management practices to minimize the loss of catchment nutrients (both applied and natural) and the maintenance of a Reef wide water quality and ecosystem monitoring program. The monitoring program is designed to assess trends in uptake of management practice improvements and their associated impacts on water quality and ecosystem status over the next 10 years. A draft set of quantitative criteria to assess the eutrophication status of Great Barrier Reef waters is outlined for further discussion and refinement.
-
Sources of sediment and nutrient exports to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
2003Co-Authors: Jon Brodie, Lucy A. Mckergow, Ian P. Prosser, Miles Furnas, Andrew O. Hughes, Heather HunterAbstract:[Extract] The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) extends along the Queensland coast for 2000 km. The coast adjoining the GBRWHA has a diverse range of wet and dry tropical catchments, covering an area of 423,000 km2. Most catchments are small, but two, the Burdekin and Fitzroy, are among the largest in Australia. Land-use on the Great Barrier Reef Catchment Area (GBRCA) is dominated by rangeland beef grazing and cropping, largely sugarcane cultivation, but also horticulture and cotton, with relatively minor urban development. Exports of terrestrial sediments, nutrients and pesticide residues to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon largely occur during periods of flood runoff.
-
The Great Barrier Reef: 25 Years of management as a large marine ecosystem
2003Co-Authors: Jon BrodieAbstract:The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) system covers an area of about 350,000 sq km. on the north-eastern Australian continental shelf. It is a long, narrow system stretching 2000 km along the coast ranging from 50 km wide in the north to 200 km in the south and bounded by the coast on the west and the Coral Sea on the east (Figure 13-1). It is a relatively shallow system with maximum depths of about 50m at the shelf break limit of the ecosystems normally considered to form part of the GBR. It encompasses the largest system of coral Reefs and related life forms anywhere in the world with approximately 3000 Reefs. About 350 species of hard coral are found in the region along with 1500 species of fish, 240 species of seabirds and at least 4000 species of molluscs. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (hereafter 'the Marine Park') is a multiple use marine park established in 1975 by the Australian Federal Government. The overriding objective of the legislation is the conservation of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef was listed on the World Heritage Register in 1981. The outer boundaries of both the Marine Park and the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area lie beyond the shelf break in the east (Figure 13-1) thus enclosing a considerable area of oceanic depth water· The western boundary of the World Heritage Area is the low water mark along the coast with the Marine Park boundary similar except for a few small excluded areas along the coast (Figure 13-1).
-
Catchment management and the Great Barrier Reef.
Water Science and Technology, 2001Co-Authors: Jon Brodie, Caroline Christie, Michelle Devlin, David Haynes, S. Morris, M. Ramsay, J. Waterhouse, Hugh YorkstonAbstract:Pollution of coastal regions of the Great Barrier Reef is dominated by runoff from the adjacent catchment. Catchment land-use is dominated by beef grazing and cropping, largely sugarcane cultivation, with relatively minor urban development. Runoff of sediment, nutrients and pesticides is increasing and for nitrogen is now four times the natural amount discharged 150 years ago. Significant effects and potential threats are now evident on inshore Reefs, seagrasses and marine animals. There is no effective legislation or processes in place to manage agricultural pollution. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act does not provide effective jurisdiction on the catchment. Queensland legislation relies on voluntary codes and there is no assessment of the effectiveness of the codes. Integrated catchment management strategies, also voluntary, provide some positive outcomes but are of limited success. Pollutant loads are predicted to continue to increase and it is unlikely that current management regimes will prevent this. New mechanisms to prevent continued degradation of inshore ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area are urgently needed.
Jane Waterhouse - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Targeting for pollutant reductions in the Great Barrier Reef river catchments
Environmental Science & Policy, 2018Co-Authors: Megan Star, John Rolfe, Kevin Mccosker, Rachael Smith, Robin Ellis, David Waters, Jane WaterhouseAbstract:Abstract The declining health of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) from poor water quality has increased the urgency for pollutant reductions at the same time that available financial resources and knowledge regarding the most appropriate interventions are limited. Prioritisation of water quality interventions in the Great Barrier Reef catchments is the process of identifying which land based actions can achieve the largest environmental benefits at the lowest cost. For prioritisation to be effective a focus is required on the outcomes of pollution reduction activities as compared to the inputs. In this paper we set out a framework for prioritising actions to improve water quality into the Great Barrier Reef, as well as providing a case study analysis using 47 individual river basins across the six large scale catchments, three pollutants and two industries. The results identify the most cost-effective options for water quality improvements aligning to locations of medium risk to Reef health. The outcomes of the analysis highlight the importance of seeking pollutant reductions where the most effective outcome can be achieved rather than simply targeting an industry or a catchment.
-
Assessment of the eutrophication status of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon (Australia)
Biogeochemistry, 2010Co-Authors: Jon Brodie, Michelle Devlin, David Haynes, Jane WaterhouseAbstract:Current scientific consensus is that inshore regions of the central and southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, are at risk of impacts from increased nutrient (as well as sediment and pesticide) loads delivered to Reef waters. Increases in the discharge of water quality contaminants to the Reef are largely a consequence of the expansion of agricultural practices in northern Queensland catchments following European settlement in the 1850s. In particular, the presence of elevated chlorophyll a and nutrient concentrations in many parts of the inshore Great Barrier Reef together with intense and extensive phytoplankton blooms following the discharge of nutrient-rich river flood waters suggest that the central and southern inshore area of the Great Barrier Reef is likely to be significantly impacted by elevated nutrient loads. The biological consequences of this are not fully quantified, but are likely to include changes in Reef condition including hard and soft coral biodiversity, macroalgal abundance, hard coral cover and coral recruitment, as well as change in seagrass distribution and tissue nutrient status. Contemporary government policy is centered around promotion and funding of better catchment management practices to minimize the loss of catchment nutrients (both applied and natural) and the maintenance of a Reef wide water quality and ecosystem monitoring program. The monitoring program is designed to assess trends in uptake of management practice improvements and their associated impacts on water quality and ecosystem status over the next 10 years. A draft set of quantitative criteria to assess the eutrophication status of Great Barrier Reef waters is outlined for further discussion and refinement.
Jon C. Day - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
How effective is the management of the Great Barrier Reef
ICES Journal of Marine Science, 2017Co-Authors: Jon C. DayAbstract:[Extract] The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest coral Reef ecosystem on earth. In 1975, specific legislation for its protection led to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP) being declared covering an area of 344 400 m2(about the size of Italy or Malaysia). The GBRMP meets the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) definition of a marine protected area(MPA) being "...a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effectivemeans, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values" (Dudley,2008).
-
Coal, cumulative impacts, and the Great Barrier Reef
Conservation Letters, 2015Co-Authors: Alana Grech, Robert L. Pressey, Jon C. DayAbstract:The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia, covers over 348,000 km 2 of tropical marine ecosystems of global significance. In July 2015, the World Heritage Committee called attention to the cumulative impacts of climate change, poor water quality, and coastal development on the region's outstanding universal value, but stopped short of inscribing the Great Barrier Reef on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Restoring the region's values is hindered by an environmental decision-making process that fails to incorporate cumulative impacts, including the climate change impacts of greenhouse gas emissions sourced from one of Australia's largest exports, thermal coal. We identify policy and processes that enable a more comprehensive consideration of the cumulative effects of coal mining by environmental decision-makers. Implementing cumulative impact assessment requires a collaborative and transparent program of planning and monitoring independent of Government and mine proponents that evaluates local, regional, and global impacts. The future of the Great Barrier Reef depends on transformational change in the cumulative assessment of Australian coal mines.
-
Securing the future of the Great Barrier Reef
Nature Climate Change, 2015Co-Authors: Terry P. Hughes, Jon C. Day, Jon BrodieAbstract:The decline of the Great Barrier Reef can be reversed by improvements to governance and management: current policies that promote fossil fuels and economic development of the Reef region need to be reformed to prioritize long-term protection from climate change and other stressors.
-
Classifying the Biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
2010Co-Authors: Brigid Kerrigan, Renae Tobin, Jon C. Day, Dan Breen, Glenn De'ath, Leanne Fernandes, Kirstin DobbsAbstract:This technical report outlines the methods that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority used to classify the biodiversity of the marine environs of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area for the Representative Areas Program. Classification was the first step in the multiphase Representative Areas Program that eventuated in a new network of no-take areas, free from extractive activities, in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The main objectives of the Representative Areas Program were to: Maintain biological diversity at the ecosystem, habitat, species, population and genetic levels Allow species to evolve and function undisturbed Provide an ecological safety margin against human-induced and natural disasters Provide a solid ecological base from which threatened species or habitats can recover or repair themselves and Maintain ecological processes.
Eric Wolanski - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Predicting the impact of present and future human land-use on the Great Barrier Reef
Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2005Co-Authors: Eric Wolanski, Glenn De'athAbstract:An ecohydrologic model, verified against field data, suggests that land-use has contributed to degradation of the health of the Great Barrier Reef and to an increased frequency and intensity of crown-of-thorns starfish infestations. The model also predicts that the health of the Great Barrier Reef will significantly worsen by the year 2050 as a result of global warming. However, the model also suggests that much-improved land-use practices will enable some regions of the Great Barrier Reef to recover, even with global warming. Finally, the model suggests that, if global warming proceeds unchecked, biological adaptation is necessary to avoid a collapse of the Great Barrier Reef health by the year 2100.\u
-
Chapter Twenty-One Mud threat to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia
Proceedings in Marine Science, 2002Co-Authors: Eric Wolanski, Norman C. DukeAbstract:Publisher Summary This chapter describes the mud threat to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The Cairns coast of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia has been influenced by human-induced erosion. Much of the forest and natural coastal vegetation and wetlands have been modified to permit urban, port, industrial, and agricultural development. The coastal rivers have become drains bringing eroded sediment to settle as mud in the estuaries, in the coastal shallows and on the inshore Reefs. Additional mud from dredging the port of Cairns is dumped in coastal waters. The resulting addition of nutrient-rich mud to the sea is considered by some to be one of the most threatening impacts on coastal Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef system. Long-term effects of low-level sedimentation on coral Reefs include tissue lesions and diseases, decreased calcification, decreased net productivity and growth, and shifts in abundances and species composition. The mangroves have responded naturally in unison, with geological and geomorphic changes, to help stabilize mud banks. A delicate balance has been maintained, allowing the offshore creation of the Great Barrier Reef.
-
Oceanographic Processes of Coral Reefs: Physical and Biological Links in the Great Barrier Reef - Oceanographic processes of coral Reefs: physical and biological links in the Great Barrier Reef
2000Co-Authors: Eric WolanskiAbstract:Oceanographic Processes of Coral Reefs, D. Suzuki The Place of Science and Technology in the Wise Management of the Great Barrier Reef, J. Baker Physics-Biology Links in the Great Barrier Reef, E. Wolanski Landcover and Water Quality in River Catchments of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, A.K.L. Johnson et al. Runoff of Terrestrial Sediment and Nutrients into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, M. Furnas and A. Mitchell Water Circulation in Mangroves, and Its Implications for Biodiversity, E. Wolanski et al. Muddy Coastal Waters and Depleted Mangrove Coastlines - Depleted Seagrass and Coral Reefs, N.C. Duke and E. Wolanski The Effects of Siltation on Tropical Coastal Ecosystems, M. Fortes Modeling and Visualizing Interactions Between Natural Disturbances and Eutrophication as Causes of Coral Reef Degradation, L.J. McCook et al. Biodiversity on the Great Barrier Reef: Large-Scale Patterns and Turbidity-Related Local Loss of Soft Coral Taxa, K. Fabricius and G. De'ath River Plume Dynamics in the Central Great Barrier Reef, B. King et al. Connectivity in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area - An Overview of Pathways and Processes, M. Cappo and R. Kelley A Model of the Ecosystem, and Associated Penaeid Prawn Community in the Far Northern Great Barrier Reef, N.A. Gribble The Effects of Water Flow Around Coral Reefs on the Distribution of Pre-Settlement Fish (Great Barrier Reef, Australia) J.H. Carleton et al. Topographic Steering by Coral Reef Assemblages, S. Spagnol et al. Environmental Factors Influencing the Activity of Black Marlin, P. Speare and C.R. Steinberg Ocean Nutrients to Sediment Banks via Tidal Jets and Halimeda Meadows, E.A. Drew Climate Variability and Change on the Great Barrier Reef, J.M. Lough The Sea Surface Temperature Story on the Great Barrier Reef During the Coral Bleaching Event of 1998, W. Skirving and J. Guinotte The Challenges of Coral Reef Management in Indonesia, I.M. Dutton et al. Will the Great Barrier Reef Survive Human Impact? F. H. Talbot
-
Sticky Waters in the Great Barrier Reef
Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2000Co-Authors: Eric Wolanski, Simon SpagnolAbstract:The Great Barrier Reef is a mosaic of regions of high and low Reef density. Current meter observations upstream from a region of high Reef density revealed that the tidal and low-frequency currents were steered away from the region during spring tides but not during neap tides. A mathematical model suggests that this effect was due to both tidal friction and to the dissipation of energy by eddies behind Reefs at spring tides. For a high Reef density region, this results in a longer residence time at spring tides than at neap tides. Conversely, this effect also diminishes connectivity between regions of high and low Reef density at spring tides. This process may affect the recruitment and dispersion of fish and other larvae in the Great Barrier Reef. It may also invalidate the use of satellite altimetry and tidal harmonic analysis for currents in the Great Barrier Reef.
-
physical oceanographic processes of the great Barrier Reef
1994Co-Authors: Eric WolanskiAbstract:Introduction, G.L. Pickard Geographic Setting Wind, Rainfall, and Sediment Inflow Water Properties and Patchiness The Tides Low-Frequency Motions Models of the Low-Frequency Circulation High Frequency Waves Reef-Induced Circulation Mixing and Dispersion Around Coral Reefs Managing the Great Barrier Reef References
Renae Tobin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Climate change, the Great Barrier Reef and the response of Australians
Palgrave Communications, 2016Co-Authors: Jeremy Goldberg, Nadine Marshall, Alastair Birtles, Peter Case, Erin Bohensky, Matt Curnock, Margaret Gooch, Howard Parry-husbands, Petina Pert, Renae TobinAbstract:Inspiration, aspirations, attitudes, and perception of threats play a pivotal role in the way that individuals associate themselves with natural environments. These sentiments affect how people connect to natural places, including their behaviours, perceived responsibility, and the management interventions they support. World Heritage Areas hold an important place in the lives of people who visit, aspire to visit, or derive a sense of security and well-being from their existence. Yet, the connection between people and special places is rarely quantified and policymakers find it difficult to incorporate these human dimensions into decision-making processes. Here we describe the personal concern and connection that Australians have with the Great Barrier Reef and discuss how the results may help with its management. We utilize a statistically representative sample of Australian residents ( n = 2,002) and show empirically that climate change is perceived to be the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef, and that the Great Barrier Reef inspires Australians, promotes pride, and instills a sense of individual identity and collective responsibility to protect it. An increased understanding of the high levels of personal connection to iconic natural resources may help managers to enhance public support for protecting climate-sensitive systems within Australia and around the world.
-
constraints on community engagement with great Barrier Reef climate change reduction and mitigation
Global Environmental Change-human and Policy Dimensions, 2011Co-Authors: Stephen Sutton, Renae TobinAbstract:Abstract Engaging stakeholders in Great Barrier Reef climate change reduction and mitigation strategies is central to efforts aimed at reducing human impacts on the Reef and increasing its resilience to climate change. We developed a theoretical framework to investigate subjective and objective constraints on cognitive, affective, and behavioural engagement with the Great Barrier Reef climate change issue. A survey of 1623 Australian residents revealed high levels of cognitive and affective engagement with the Great Barrier Reef climate change issue, but that behavioural engagement was limited by objective constraints that intervene between individuals’ desire to become engaged (affective engagement) and their ability to take relevant actions. Individuals were constrained from increasing their engagement with the Great Barrier Reef climate change issue primarily by lack of knowledge about actions they can take, lack of time, and having other priorities. Individuals’ age, gender, education level, income, and place of residence influenced the probability that they would experience these and other specific constraints on engagement. We suggest that future Great Barrier Reef engagement strategies must endeavour to identify specific behaviour that individuals can undertake to help reduce the impact of climate change on the Reef, and find ways to help people overcome the constraints they face on engagement in those activities. The theoretical framework we developed should be useful for investigating constraints on engagement with other environmental issues, but further empirical and conceptual work is necessary.
-
A Community Survey of Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef
2010Co-Authors: J.a. Nilsson, Stephen Sutton, Renae TobinAbstract:This report provides an understanding of the Australian community’s awareness, concern and participation regarding climate change and the Great Barrier Reef. It was designed to be used as a tool for developing effective engagement strategies and future climate change human dimensions research. A telephone survey was used to collect information about Australian residents’ climate change perceptions, beliefs and behaviours and motivations to reduce the impact of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef. In total, 1,609 interviews were completed in communities adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef (‘Reef area’) and in the capital cities of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney (‘City area’) in November 2008. The results presented in this report are primarily descriptive in nature, with the aim of providing a broad overview of the social characteristics of climate change and the Great Barrier Reef. Further work using the data collected here could explore managerially useful ways of segmenting the population with the aim of gaining a better understanding of how to communicate and manage climate change impacts on the Great Barrier Reef.
-
Classifying the Biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
2010Co-Authors: Brigid Kerrigan, Renae Tobin, Jon C. Day, Dan Breen, Glenn De'ath, Leanne Fernandes, Kirstin DobbsAbstract:This technical report outlines the methods that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority used to classify the biodiversity of the marine environs of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area for the Representative Areas Program. Classification was the first step in the multiphase Representative Areas Program that eventuated in a new network of no-take areas, free from extractive activities, in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The main objectives of the Representative Areas Program were to: Maintain biological diversity at the ecosystem, habitat, species, population and genetic levels Allow species to evolve and function undisturbed Provide an ecological safety margin against human-induced and natural disasters Provide a solid ecological base from which threatened species or habitats can recover or repair themselves and Maintain ecological processes.
