Water clarity and water quality, catchment to reef, Great Barrier Reef
This research focused on defining improved water quality guideline trigger values for the GBR Water Quality Guidelines, by identifying measures of changes in coral reefs that are specifically related to recent and past exposure to changing water quality from altered catchments. An analysis of spatial and seasonal water quality conditions in six NRM regions on the GBR assessed the relationships between water quality and reef ecosystem health. Trigger values for water quality were determined to protect ecosystem health and model based predictions for ecosystem benefits for improvements should the trigger values by implemented.
Analysis was conducted for the six NRM regions: Burnett Mary, Fitzroy, Mackay Whitsundays, Burdekin Dry Tropics, Wet Tropics, and Cape York NRM. This included nine water quality parameters were analysed: Secchi depth, chlorophyll, suspended solids, particulate, dissolved and total nitrogen, and particulate, dissolved and total phosphorus. Four groups of biota were used as proxies for reef ecosystem status and biodiversity: these were macroalgal cover, species richness of hard corals, and species richness of phototrophic and heterotrophic octocorals.
Two separate approaches were used to define water quality guideline trigger values:
(i) The modelled relationships between the condition of reef biota
(ii) The analyses of the spatial distribution of water quality.
The chlorophyll and nutrient data were collected since 1976, and between 1992 and 2006 as part of the Long-Term Chlorophyll Monitoring program, and of the Reef Plan Marine Monitoring program since 2005.
The Secchi data were collected by a consortium of people from AIMS, DPIF, and members of the Reef Plan Marine Monitoring Program since 1976. These data are available through the data links on this page (eAtlas).
The hard coral biodiversity data were collected between 1994 and 2001.
The study was funded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Australian Government’s Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility
Données et ressources
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Harrington LM, Fabricius KE, Eaglesham G and Negri AP (2005) Synergistic effects of diuron and sedimentation on photosynthetic yields and survival of crustose…HTML Ouvrir
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Fabricius KE and Metzner J (2004) Scleractinian walls of mouths: predation on coral larvae by corals. Coral Reefs. 23: 245-248.HTML Ouvrir
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Fabricius KE and De'ath AG (2001) Environmental factors associated with the spatial distribution of crustose coralline algae on the Great Barrier Reef. Coral…HTML Ouvrir
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e-atlas Secchi disk depthHTML Ouvrir
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Fabricius KE, Wild C, Wolanski EJ and Abele D (2003) Effects of transparent exopolymer particles and muddy terrigenous sediments on the survival of hard coral…HTML Ouvrir
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Philipp E and Fabricius KE (2003) Photophysiological stress in scleractinian corals in response to short-term sedimentation. Journal of Experimental Marine…HTML Ouvrir
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Candidate bioindicator measures to monitor exposure to changing water quality on the Great Barrier Reef. Interim Report.: Fabricius KE, Uthicke S, Cooper TF,…HTML Ouvrir
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Fabricius KE (2005) Effects of terrestrial runoff on the ecology of corals and coral reefs: review and synthesis. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 50: 125-146.HTML Ouvrir
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Fabricius KE and De'ath AG (2004) Identifying ecological change and its causes: a case study on coral reefs. Ecological Applications. 14: 1448-1465.HTML Ouvrir
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Brodie JE, Fabricius KE, De'ath AG and Okaji K (2005) Are increased nutrient inputs responsible for more outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish? An appraisal of…HTML Ouvrir
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De'ath AG and Fabricius KE (2000) Classification and regression trees: a powerful yet simple technique for the analysis of complex ecological data. Ecology. 81:…HTML Ouvrir
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Fine Sediment Budget On An Inner Shelf Island Of The Great Barrier ReefHTML Ouvrir
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e-atlas Water quality guidelines for the Great Barrier ReefHTML Ouvrir
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Gradients in water column nutrients, sediments, irradiance and coral reef development in the Whitsunday Region, central Great Barrier Reef: Cooper TF, Uthicke…HTML Ouvrir
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Temporal dynamics in coral bioindicators for water quality on coastal coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef: Cooper TF, Ridd P, Ulstrup KE, Humphrey CA,…HTML Ouvrir
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Water Quality Dataset, Great Barrier ReefHTML Ouvrir
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e-atlas Water column chlorophyllHTML Ouvrir
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Anthony KRN and Fabricius KE (2000) Shifting roles of heterotrophy and autotrophy in coral energetics under varying turbidity. Journal of Experimental Marine…HTML Ouvrir
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Fabricius KE and Wolanski EJ (2000) Rapid smothering of coral organisms by muddy marine snow. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science. 50: 115-120.HTML Ouvrir
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Water quality of the Great Barrier Reef: distributions, effects on reef biota and trigger values for the protection of ecosystem health: De'ath G and Fabricius…HTML Ouvrir
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Negri AP, Vollhardt C, Humphrey CA, Heyward AJ, Jones RJ, Eaglesham G and Fabricius KE (2005) Effects of the herbicide diuron on the early life history stages…HTML Ouvrir
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Informations supplémentaires
| Date (revision) | 2026-10-24 |
|---|---|
| Statut | onGoing |
| Fréquence de mise à jour | asNeeded |
| Langue des métadonnées | en |
| Licence | All AIMS data, products and services are provided "as is" and AIMS does not warrant their fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services. |
| Métadonnées sources | ISO 19115 XML |
| Dernière mise à jour | 2026-11-05 |
| Créé | 2026-11-05 |
| API | package_show |