A PhD thesis has documented the status of seagrass and their sediment nutrient across a range of locations and species in the central region of the GBRWHA in the mid 1990s. The data in this thesis represents a baseline for ongoing assessment of status and trend of both the seagrass meadows surveyed and changes in the nutrient environment they inhabit. One key finding is that the status of seagrasses of this region is dependent upon a complex interaction between location, species, season and disturbance regime. In this proposed work, Jane Mellors will produce a series of publications for the international literature that will allow dissemination of her research. Outcomes: An improved understanding of the recent history of seagrasses and nutrients in the central region of the GBRWHA and a baseline data set for ongoing monitoring of changes in water quality and it’s affect on seagrasses.
Seagrass
Seagrass community monitoring
Community volunteers monitoring seagrass health at inshore sites.
GBRWHA Monitoring Program: Intertidal Seagrass Monitoring
Monitoring of the intertidal seagrass beds will be carried out to ensure that any change in their status is identified.
Monitoring sites will be associated with the river mouth and inshore marine water quality-monitoring programs to enable correlation with concurrently collected water quality information. Outcomes: Information about current status and long-term (10 year) trends in water quality and marine ecosystem status in the GBRWHA.