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dc.contributor.authorHowley, C
dc.contributor.authorDevlin, M
dc.contributor.authorBurford, M
dc.date.accessioned2019-05-31T01:21:12Z
dc.date.available2019-05-31T01:21:12Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.identifier.issn1323-1650
dc.identifier.doi10.1071/MF17009
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/384927
dc.description.abstractUnderstanding the flux and fate of nutrients and sediments from rivers is of global importance because of the effects of these materials on coastal ecosystems. The present study followed three flood events from upper tributaries of the Normanby River to Princess Charlotte Bay in the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon, Australia. During each event, nutrients and suspended sediment concentrations were measured along a freshwater to marine transect. The upper catchment provided the majority of suspended sediments and nutrients supplied to the river system, although concentrations of most materials decreased by 52–85% between the upper catchment and estuary. As an exception, ammonium concentrations doubled within the estuary, indicating that undisturbed coastal ecosystems can provide a significant source of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to tropical river flood plumes. The dissolved nutrients in floodwaters stimulated phytoplankton blooms that inundated seagrass meadows and coral reefs. Northern GBR marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by climate change and catchment development. The results of this study show that increased anthropogenic loads of nutrients and sediments from the upper Normanby catchment have the potential to affect the condition of marine ecosystems at Princess Charlotte Bay.
dc.description.peerreviewedYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherCSIRO Publishing
dc.publisher.placeAustralia
dc.relation.ispartofpagefrom859
dc.relation.ispartofpageto873
dc.relation.ispartofissue6
dc.relation.ispartofjournalMarine and Freshwater Research
dc.relation.ispartofvolume69
dc.subject.fieldofresearchOceanography not elsewhere classified
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode370899
dc.titleAssessment of water quality from the Normanby River catchment to coastal flood plumes on the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.descriptionC1 - Articles
dc.type.codeC - Journal Articles
dc.description.versionAccepted Manuscript (AM)
gro.rights.copyright© 2018 CSIRO. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
gro.griffith.authorBurford, Michele A.


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