<
https://theconversation.com/we-finally-have-some-encouraging-news-on-great-barrier-reef-water-quality-289723>
"Imagine a plume of brown sediment is washed off the land into Queensland
rivers and carried out to sea. Here, it can settle on seagrass and inshore
corals, potentially smothering them. River water often also carries nitrogen
from fertiliser residue, which can fuel algal growth and damage coral health.
We have long known that poor water quality is a serious threat to areas of the
Great Barrier Reef close to shore. The reef faces other major challenges, such
as marine heatwaves driven by climate change that trigger large-scale coral
bleaching. But unlike climate change, water quality is something Australia can
directly control.
Since 2014, the federal and Queensland governments have collectively spent more
than A$5 billion on catchment programs for reef health. Many of these aim to
improve water quality by reducing fertiliser runoff from farmland and tackling
erosion to stop sediment entering waterways.
Our new research shows water quality is improving in many rivers that flow to
the reef. This is good news."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
