Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program - Assessment of Terrestrial Run-off entering the Reef

Full description

The Reef 2050 WQIP Marine Monitoring Program (MMP) is a key component in the assessment of long term improvements in inshore water quality and marine ecosystem health that are expected to occur with improved land management practices. Data from the MMP is combined with monitoring and modelling data produced at paddock and catchment scales to produce a summary of the health of the GBR and its catchments. This component of the program assesses the spatial and temporal trends in terrestrial runoff entering the GBR and the link to end of catchment loads. The water quality data represents water samples collected both during ambient and flood plume conditions. The samples are analysed for suspended sediments, dissolved and particulate forms of nitrogen and phosphorus, coloured dissolved organic matter, chlorophyll a, dissolved organic carbon and silica. Monitoring occurs at selected sites off the Burdekin, Tully and Russell Mulgrave regions and off the Mackay Whitsunday region during flood conditions. Additional profiles of the water column are taken for salinity, temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen and light (PAR) as well as secchi depth.

Data are managed at TropWATER, James Cook University on a Microsoft Access database. TropWATER sampling included other rivers in flood plume conditions (such as the Fitzroy and Burnett) in the past and these are also in the database. 

The TropWATER component of the water quality part of the Marine Monitoring Program (this dataset) joins with Howley Environmental Consulting how are subcontracted by JCU to undertake water quality sampling in key rivers in Cape York. These data are then shared with AIMS who conduct ambient (only) sampling at the same sites off the Russell Mulgrave, Tully, Burdekin and Mackay Whitsunday Rivers (and more recently off the Fitzroy). All of these data are then compiled by AIMS and jointly reported in annual reports for the Marine Monitoring Program. See the Related resources section for links.