Organic carbon deliveries and their flow related dynamics in the Fitzroy estuary

Ford, Phillip W.; Tillman, Pei; Robson, Barbara; Webster, Ian T.

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2004.10.019

Cited by 36 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…This is not surprising as it is well established that storm flows play a key role in mobilising organic carbon in catchments (Buffam et al, 2001;Hinton et al, 1997). Similar results were found in another Australian estuary, the Fitzroy River, where Ford et al (2005) showed DOC concentrations were higher following high flows compared to base flow conditions. The role of floods in facilitating cross-boundary carbon subsidisation are emphasised in the flood pulse concept (Junk et al, 1989).…”

Section: 5)supporting

confidence: 86%

“…The last decade has seen increasing studies occurring outside of these regions (for example Thottathil et al, 2008;Vargas et al, 2011). In Australia the study of organic carbon in estuaries has been fairly limited (Abrantes and Sheaves, 2010;Eyre and Twigg, 1997;Ford et al, 2005;Petrone, 2010;Petrone et al, 2011;Petrone et al, 2009). Thus, there is a need to pay greater attention to Australian catchments, in particular as temperate and sub-tropical systems in Australia exhibit particularly episodic discharge and precipitation (Finlayson and McMahon, 1988).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Highs and lows: The effect of differently sized freshwater inflows on estuarine carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria and chlorophyll a dynamics

Hitchcock

Mitrovic

2015

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

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Freshwater inflows play a key role in the delivery of organic carbon to estuaries. However, our understanding of the dynamics between discharge and carbon globally is limited. In this study we performed a 30-month monitoring study on the Bega and Clyde River estuaries, Australia, to understand the influence that discharge had on carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria and chlorophyll a dynamics. We hypothesised that 1) discharge would be the most important factor influencing carbon and nutrient concentrations, though during low flows chlorophyll a would also be positively related to carbon, 2) bacteria would be related to dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and chlorophyll a to temperature, nitrogen and phosphorus, and 3) that concentrations of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, bacterial biomass and chlorophyll a would be significantly different between large 'flood flows', smaller 'fresh flows' and base flow conditions. We found that discharge was always the most important factor influencing carbon and nutrient concentrations, and that primary production appeared to have little influence on the variation in DOC concentration even during base flow conditions. We suggest this relationship is likely due to highly episodic discharge that occurred during the study period. Bacteria were related to DOC in the lower estuary sites, but phosphorus in the upper estuary. We suggest this is likely due to the input of bioavailable carbon in the upper estuary leading bacteria to be P limited, which changes downstream to carbon limitation as DOC becomes more refractory. Chlorophyll a was positively related to temperature but not nutrients, which we suggest may be due to competition with bacteria for phosphorus in the upper estuary. Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were different under flood, fresh and base flow conditions, though these differences sometimes varied between estuary locations for different resources. Overall, the results demonstrate that discharge plays an important structuring role for carbon, nutrient and bacteria dynamics on the Bega and Clyde Rivers, and that the differences observed between flood and fresh inflows suggest that further study into the influence of differently sized inflow events is important.

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Section: 5)supporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Highs and lows: The effect of differently sized freshwater inflows on estuarine carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria and chlorophyll a dynamics

Hitchcock

Mitrovic

2015

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

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“…Calculated nutrient loads of individual flood events (1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008) range from 0.05 to 5.5 kt for TP and 0.2 to 12.8 kt for TN (Packett et al 2009). About 2/3 of nutrients are delivered in particulate form, mainly as organic constituents on soil particles, whilst the remainder is in dissolved forms (Ford et al 2005). The high flows (maximum 10,000 cumecs) persist for about 1-2 weeks and fine particles and nutrients are rapidly transmitted through the estuary which flows fresh to beyond its mouth, and then as a brackish surface plume exiting Keppel Bay to the east and north (Devlin and Brodie 2005).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3). The shaded boxes refer to expected values for fresh marine phytoplankton (based on Bird et al 1995 andGagan et al 1987), soil organic matter (Ford et al 2005), fresh terrestrial-C3 plant debris (Meyers 2003), C4 plants (Eyre and McKee 2002;Meyers 2003;Holtvoeth et al 2005), fresh lacustrine algae (Meyers 2003) and Trichodesmium collected from Keppel Bay (P. Ford, unpublished data). The open box denotes the area of marine bacteria d 13 C signatures and TOC:TN ratios reported by Fukuda et al (1998) and Goni et al (2005).…”

Section: Seabed Geochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeochemical Zones Within a Macrotidal, Dry-Tropical Fluvial-Marine Transition Area: A Dry-Season Perspective

et al. 2009

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The Fitzroy River delivers large amounts of nutrients and fine sediments to Keppel Bay (contiguous with the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon) during intermittent flow events. This study explores sources, forms and transformations of nutrients in Keppel Bay, and develops a functional process zonation that integrates seabed geochemistry and water column nutrient characteristics which are controlled by suspended sediment. The water column and seabed properties were investigated over two dry seasons, with supplementary core incubations taken to measure carbon decomposition rates and nutrient fluxes. Keppel Bay can be divided into three zones, the: zone of maximum resuspension (ZMR); coastal transitional zone (CTZ); and blue water zone (BWZ). Mineralisation of predominantly terrestrial organic matter occurs in the ZMR where nutrient uptake by phytoplankton is light limited. The CTZ and BWZ had higher light penetration and phytoplankton growth was likely limited by N and P, respectively. The identified zones conform to the bathymetry and hydrodynamic characteristics of the bay, allowing for the development of an integrated conceptual model accounting for the benthic and pelagic biogeochemical processes. Recognition of these different zones shows that considerable variation in benthic and water column properties is possible within a small system with the bathymetric and hydrodynamic characteristics of the fluidized bed reactor.

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“…As a result of mounting scientific evidence for the connection between catchment land-use practices, riverine sediment and nutrient fluxes and coral reef degradation, management decisions on land are increasingly considering impacts on adjacent marine ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef. It is clear that estuarine biogeochemical processes have a key role in moderating the transport of sediments and nutrients from rivers to coastal waters, especially during low and intermediate-sized flow events that do not completely flush the estuary (Webster et al 2003;Ford et al 2005). However, wetland drainage and flood protection measures in estuaries of north Queensland may compromise the ability of these ecosystems to moderate sediment and nutrient fluxes.…”

Section: Riverine Fluxes Of Sediments and Nutrients To The Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Australia's tropical river systems: current scientific understanding and critical knowledge gaps for sustainable management

Hamilton¹,

Gehrke²

2005

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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Abstract. Australia's tropical river systems are poorly understood in comparison with Australia's temperate freshwater and tropical marine systems. Tropical rivers convey ∼70% of the continent's freshwater runoff, and are increasingly being targeted for development. However, existing knowledge is inadequate to support policy for tropical regions that avoids repeating the environmental problems of water use in southern Australia. This paper summarises existing knowledge on the hydrogeomorphic drivers of tropical catchments, fluxes of sediments and nutrients, flow requirements and wetlands. Key research issues include improved quantification of available water resources, hydrological, biogeochemical and ecological linkages at systems scales, understanding and valuing ecosystem processes and services, and projecting the effects of long-term climate change. Two special considerations for tropical Australia are the location of major centres of government and research capacity outside the tropical region, and the legal title of much of tropical Australia vesting in Aboriginal communities with different cultural values for rivers. Both issues will need to be addressed if tropical research is to be effective in supporting resource management needs into the future. Systems-scale thinking is needed to identify links between system components and coastal enterprises, and to protect the environmental, social, and economic values of Australia's tropical river systems.

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Organic carbon deliveries and their flow related dynamics in the Fitzroy estuary

Cited by 36 publications

References 23 publications

Highs and lows: The effect of differently sized freshwater inflows on estuarine carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria and chlorophyll a dynamics

Highs and lows: The effect of differently sized freshwater inflows on estuarine carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria and chlorophyll a dynamics

Biogeochemical Zones Within a Macrotidal, Dry-Tropical Fluvial-Marine Transition Area: A Dry-Season Perspective

Australia's tropical river systems: current scientific understanding and critical knowledge gaps for sustainable management

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