An assessment of anthropogenic and climatic stressors on estuaries using a spatio-temporal GIS-modelling approach for sustainability: Towamba estuary, southeastern Australia

Al-Nasrawi, Ali K. M.; Hamylton, Sarah; Jones, Brian G.

doi:10.1007/s10661-018-6720-5

Cited by 13 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In the face of changes in the frequency and intensity of rainfall as well as changes in temperature and sea levels, the salinity equilibrium in estuaries will also be altered ( Short and Neckles, 1999 ; Alongi, 2008 ; Dolbeth et al, 2011 ). The Amazon River Basin is considered a hotspot for exposure to natural hazards ( de Almeida et al, 2016 ) since significant changes in hydrology caused by rising temperatures (evaporation, stream flow and estuarine mixing of the sea and the river) will lead to more complex effects on ecosystem dynamics ( Gillanders and Kingsford, 2002 ; Day et al, 2008 ; Milliman et al, 2008 ). Changes in the tidal regime, salinity and hydrology lead to changes in the structural development and distribution of estuarine species ( Schaeffer-Novelli et al, 2002 ; Cunha-Lignon et al, 2011 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extremophiles as a Model of a Natural Ecosystem: Transcriptional Coordination of Genes Reveals Distinct Selective Responses of Plants Under Climate Change Scenarios

et al. 2018

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The goal of this research was to generate networks of co-expressed genes to explore the genomic responses of Rhizophora mangle L. populations to contrasting environments and to use gene network analysis to investigate their capacity for adaptation in the face of historical and future perturbations and climatic changes. RNA sequencing data were generated for R. mangle samples collected under field conditions from contrasting climate zones in the equatorial and subtropical regions of Brazil. A gene co-expression network was constructed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, showing correlations among 78,364 transcriptionally coordinated genes. Each region exhibited two distinct network profiles; genes correlated with the oxidative stress response showed higher relative expression levels in subtropical samples than in equatorial samples, whereas genes correlated with the hyperosmotic salinity response, heat response and UV response had higher expression levels in the equatorial samples than in the subtropical samples. In total, 992 clusters had enriched ontology terms, which suggests that R. mangle is under higher stress in the equatorial region than in the subtropical region. Increased heat may thus pose a substantial risk to species diversity at the center of its distribution range in the Americas. This study, which was performed using trees in natural field conditions, allowed us to associate the specific responses of genes previously described in controlled environments with their responses to the local habitat where the species occurs. The study reveals the effects of contrasting environments on gene expression in R. mangle, shedding light on the different abiotic variables that may contribute to the genetic divergence previously described for the species through the use of simple sequence repeats (SSRs). These effects may result from two fundamental processes in evolution, namely, phenotypic plasticity and natural selection.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extremophiles as a Model of a Natural Ecosystem: Transcriptional Coordination of Genes Reveals Distinct Selective Responses of Plants Under Climate Change Scenarios

et al. 2018

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“…There are very few studies that have investigated a relationship between land cover, wetland change, and metrics that describe the physical geography of a location. Other than erosion/accretion related to shoreline change and area of coastal features [60][61][62], most studies do not holistically investigate changing coastal riverine dynamics and land cover change. Therefore, one of the main contributions of this research was to investigate these metrics to see if there is a pattern and to measure the spatial and statistical relationships among several characteristics through time.…”

Section: Compare Land Cover Change and Physical Geography Characterismentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multi-Decadal Investigation of Tidal Creek Wetland Changes, Water Level Rise, and Ghost Forests

Magolan

Halls

2020

Remote Sensing

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Coastal wetlands play a vital role in protecting coastlines, which makes the loss of forested and emergent wetlands devastating for vulnerable coastal communities. Tidal creeks are relatively small hydrologic areas that feed into larger estuaries, are on the front lines of the interface between saltwater and freshwater ecosystems, and are potentially the first areas to experience changes in sea level. The goal of this study was to investigate wetland changes through time at two tidal creeks (Smith Creek and Town Creek) of the Cape Fear River estuary in southeastern North Carolina, USA, to determine if there is a spatial relationship between habitat change, physical geography characteristics, and the rate of wetland migration upstream. Historic aerial photography and recent satellite imagery were used to map land cover and compute change through time and were compared with derived physical geography metrics (sinuosity, creek width, floodplain width, floodplain elevation, and creek slope). The primary results were: (1) there was a net gain in emergent wetlands even accounting for the area of wetlands that became water, (2) wetlands have migrated upstream at an increasing rate through time, (3) land cover change was significantly different between the two creeks (P = 0.01) where 14% (67.5 ha) of Smith Creek and 18% (272.3 ha) of Town Creek transitioned from forest to emergent wetland, and (4) the transition from emergent wetland to water was significantly related to average change in creek width, floodplain elevation, and average water level. In conclusion, this research correlated habitat change with rising water level and identified similarities and differences between neighboring tidal creeks. Future research could apply the methodologies developed here to other coastal locations to further explore the relationships between tides, sea level, land cover change, and physical geography characteristics.The coastal counties surrounding the Cape Fear River have experienced a large increase in urban population where, from 1970 to 2010, New Hanover County experienced a 144% increase in population and Brunswick County a 343% increase [24]. With population growth, and the potential loss of natural areas including forested wetlands, there is an increased coastal vulnerability to storm surge inundation and pluvial flooding. To investigate land cover change under increasing tidal range, relative sea-level rise, and urban development, two tidal creeks of the Cape Fear River estuary, Smith Creek (34.257029, -77.929373) and Town Creek (34.135822, -78.001620) were investigated in this study (Figure 1). Town Creek, 33 km from the mouth of the Cape Fear River, is characterized by expansive wetlands, and is very long for a tidal creek at 53 km [25]. Further upstream, 18 km from Town Creek, is Smith Creek which is much shorter in length (17 km) and is surrounded by urban development. While Smith Creek and Town Creek have notable differences, these creeks were chosen because: (1) they are in close proximity, which is good for compari...

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“…Therefore, natural wetlands in general, and particularly the Mesopotamian marshes, have played a pivotal role in human life development for more than 6000 years (Faiella, 2006). However, the environmentally unsustainable development during the industrial revolution, especially in the twentieth century, has severely impacted these ecosystems (Chew 1999;Al-Nasrawi et al 2018). The Mesopotamian wetlands were significantly damaged at all levels over the past ~50 years by rapid environmental alterations (Richardson et al 2005), resulting in a collapsed ecosystem, severe droughts, economic distraction, and ultimately the forced migration of several million people out of the area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Mesopotamian Wetlands: Investigations Using Diverse Remote Sensing Datasets

2021

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Early civilizations have inhabited stable-water-resourced areas that supported living needs and activities, including agriculture. The Mesopotamian marshes, recognised as the most ancient human-inhabited area (~6000 years ago) and refuge of rich biodiversity, have experienced dramatic changes during the past five decades, starting to fail in providing adequate environmental functioning and support of social communities as they used to for thousands of years. The aim of this study is to observe, analyse and report the extent of changes in these marshes from 1972 to 2020. Data from various remote sensing sources were acquired through Google Earth Engine (GEE) including climate variables, land cover, surface reflectance, and surface water occurrence collections. Results show a clear wetlands dynamism over time and a significant loss in marshlands extent, even though no significant long-term change was observed in lumped rainfall from 1982, and even during periods where no meteorological drought had been recorded. Human interventions have disturbed the ecosystems, which is evident when studying water occurrence changes. These show that the diversion of rivers and the building of a new drainage system caused the migration and spatiotemporal changes of marshlands. Nonetheless, restoration plans (after 2003) and strong wet conditions (period 2018 -2020) have helped to recover the ecosystems, these have not led the marshlands to regain their former extent. Further studies should pay more attention to the drainage network within the study area as well as the neighboring regions and their impact on the streamflow that feeds the study area.

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An assessment of anthropogenic and climatic stressors on estuaries using a spatio-temporal GIS-modelling approach for sustainability: Towamba estuary, southeastern Australia

Cited by 13 publications

References 42 publications

Extremophiles as a Model of a Natural Ecosystem: Transcriptional Coordination of Genes Reveals Distinct Selective Responses of Plants Under Climate Change Scenarios

Extremophiles as a Model of a Natural Ecosystem: Transcriptional Coordination of Genes Reveals Distinct Selective Responses of Plants Under Climate Change Scenarios

A Multi-Decadal Investigation of Tidal Creek Wetland Changes, Water Level Rise, and Ghost Forests

Changes in Mesopotamian Wetlands: Investigations Using Diverse Remote Sensing Datasets

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