Christie Bentley

Long term monitoring of photosystem II herbicides – Correlation with remotely sensed freshwater extent to monitor changes in the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Photosystem II (PSII) herbicides are used in large quantities on agricultural lands adjoining the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Routine monitoring at 14 sites in inshore waters of the GBR using passive sampling techniques detected diuron (32-94% of sampling periods) at maximum concentrations of 1.7-430ng L(-1) in the relatively pristine Cape York Region to the Mackay Whitsunday Region, respectively. A PSII herbicide equivalent (PSII-HEq) index developed as an indicator for reporting was dominated by diuron (average contribution 89%) and typically increased during the wet season. The maximum PSII-HEq indicates the potential for photosynthetic inhibition of diatoms, seagrass and coral-symbionts. PSII herbicides were significantly positively correlated with remotely sensed coloured dissolved organic matter, a proxy for freshwater extent. Combining these methods provides for the first time the potential to cost-effectively monitor improvements in water quality entering the GBR with respect to exposure to PSII herbicides.

The influence of a season of extreme wet weather events on exposure of the World Heritage Area Great Barrier Reef to pesticides

The 2010-2011 wet season was one of extreme weather for the State of Queensland, Australia. Major rivers adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) were discharging at rates 1.5 to >3 times higher than their long term median. Exposure to photosystem II herbicides has been routinely monitored over a period of up to 5 years at 12 inshore GBR sites. The influence of this wet season on exposure to photosystem II herbicides was examined in the context of this long-term monitoring record and during flood plume events in specific regions. Median exposures expressed as diuron equivalent concentration were an average factor of 2.3 times higher but mostly not significantly different (p<0.05) to the median for the long-term monitoring record. The herbicides metolachlor and tebuthiuron were frequently detected in flood plume waters at concentrations that reached or exceeded relevant water quality guidelines (by up to 4.5 times).

Water resource development and high value coastal wetlands on the Lower Burdekin Floodplain, Australia

The lower Burdekin floodplain in north Queensland houses the combination of northern Australia’s largest and most intensively developed agricultural floodplain with one of the largest concentrations of high value freshwater, estuarine and marine wetlands in Australia. The area has a long history of supporting one of Australia’s most economically important sugarcane growing districts, most of which is located upstream of this complex of internationally and nationally significant wetland environments. A unique management feature of agriculture in the region is the total reliance on supplemental flood irrigation to meet crop water demands. Agricultural developments in the catchment area, particularly the establishment of water resource schemes to support this extensive irrigated agriculture, pose significant threats to the integrity of the downstream receiving wetlands. Cumulative (and ongoing) changes to water regimes and the chemistry of both surface and subsurface waters now pose major threats to both the long-term viability of wetlands and large sections of the sugar industry itself. Substantial shifts in societal perceptions and expectations regarding the value of wetlands and water resources at national and global levels are reflected in the lower Burdekin region. The legacy of earlier perceptions and associated policy decision-making are, however, going to provide some of the most enduring management challenges for lower Burdekin coastal wetlands, and ultimately the viability of irrigation areas themselves.