NESP MaC Project 5.11 – Water quality trends analysis at key GBR basins (sediment and DIN) (JCU, CSIRO)

Research Project

Researchers: Cassandra James (contributor) ,  Emma Lawrence (contributor) ,  Petra Kuhnert (contributor) ,  Rebecca Bartley (principalInvestigator) ,  Stephen Lewis (contributor)
View all 8 related researchers

Full description This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 'Water quality trends analysis at key GBR basins (sediment and DIN)'. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. Despite considerable government investment in Great Barrier Reef catchment area (GBRCA) water quality programs (>$2B) including on-ground works and regulation, this is the first comprehensive analysis of long-term trends in empirical water quality monitoring data to test and quantify any detectable changes. Building on the definitive compilation of four decades of historical water quality data for key river basins of the GBRCA (James at al., 2025), this project will examine long-term trends in Reef 2050 Plan priority constituents, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and suspended sediment. To compliment this evaluation, this project will compile and evaluate changes in fertiliser application amounts across the river basins of the GBRCA over the same time period. This compilation of land use specific fertiliser application data also provides a foundational record of long-term changes in land management over annual timesteps. This project will inform current and future Reef policy and on-ground investment programs, as well as support on-going catchment modelling efforts. This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 5.11 'Water quality trends analysis at key GBR basins (sediment and DIN)'. For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. Project outputs: • A time series compilation of nitrogen and phosphorus fertiliser application amounts in the river basins of the Great Barrier Reef catchment area [Journal paper] • Statistical water quality trend analysis of priority basin sites across the Great Barrier Reef catchment area, including measures of uncertainty [Journal paper].

Lineage Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned

Lineage

Notes Credit
The project described in this record are funded by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, the Environment, Energy & Water (DCCEEW) through the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub. In addition to NESP (DCCEEW) funding, this project is matched by an equivalent amount of in-kind support and co-investment from project partners and collaborators.

Data time period: 2025-02-01 to 2026-11-20

153.1,-26.00625 152.95875,-25.04338 152.57266,-24.6573 152.01706,-24.07345 151.12482,-23.26125 150.89882,-22.4514 150.50331,-22.13123 149.69346,-21.57564 149.23204,-20.82229 148.94012,-20.17018 148.26211,-19.69934 147.53701,-19.21908 146.8025,-18.85182 146.42582,-18.32448 146.34107,-17.84187 146.09624,-16.98494 145.7949,-16.6271 145.51239,-15.7325 145.49356,-14.88499 145.00388,-14.47065 144.51421,-14.08456 144.0057,-14.27289 143.75145,-14.00922 143.58194,-12.83212 143.36536,-12.46486 143.28061,-12.00344 143.20527,-11.8716 142.93218,-11.83394 142.89452,-11.41018 142.8286,-11.03351 142.60259,-10.9205 142.56493,-10.72275 142.36717,-11.06176 142.63084,-11.12767 142.78151,-11.35368 142.76268,-11.56085 142.62143,-11.88102 142.64026,-12.17294 142.76268,-12.40836 142.89452,-12.41778 142.96985,-12.64378 142.8851,-12.81329 142.96043,-12.99221 143.28061,-13.07696 143.38419,-13.32179 143.30886,-13.44421 143.35594,-13.74555 143.17702,-14.01864 143.45953,-14.41415 143.44069,-14.87086 143.30886,-15.16278 143.79853,-15.64304 143.82678,-15.81254 144.33529,-15.9538 144.64605,-15.85021 145.00388,-16.17038 145.24872,-16.48114 145.52181,-16.65064 145.34289,-17.00848 145.46531,-17.28157 145.29581,-17.39457 144.97563,-17.66766 144.79671,-18.23267 144.57071,-18.80709 144.71196,-18.9201 144.76846,-19.13668 144.53304,-19.41919 144.22229,-19.63577 144.38237,-19.95595 144.58954,-19.95595 144.77553,-20.03599 145.08628,-20.4315 145.12395,-20.61042 145.34995,-20.95884 145.27462,-21.22251 145.54771,-21.40143 145.70779,-21.16601 145.99971,-21.40143 146.1033,-21.74043 145.77371,-21.84402 145.65129,-21.99469 145.94321,-22.13594 146.08446,-22.42786 146.16922,-23.08704 146.3858,-23.74622 146.36697,-24.26414 146.60239,-24.47131 146.91315,-24.65023 146.87548,-24.92332 146.9979,-25.05516 147.78891,-24.72557 148.39159,-25.26233 148.24092,-25.99684 148.36334,-25.98742 148.74943,-26.18517 149.38977,-26.30759 149.97361,-26.40176 150.32204,-26.16634 150.96238,-26.15692 151.21663,-26.32643 151.1978,-26.50535 151.76281,-26.95735 152.30899,-26.44885 152.71391,-26.8726 152.88341,-26.74077 152.87399,-26.24168 153.1,-26.00625

147.73358604732,-18.840052494931