IMAS Metadata Catalogue
Estuarine Health in Tasmania, status and indicators: water quality
Conducted under the Coast and Clean Seas program of the Natural Heritage Trust fund, this study provides a summary and assessment of water quality parameters, as indicators of estuarine health, in 22 selected Tasmanian estuaries. The estuaries are: Duck Bay, East Inlet, Black River, Don River, Mersey River, Port Sorell, Boobyalla Inlet, Little Musselroe River, Ansons Bay, Grants Lagoon, Douglas River, Great Swanport, Meredith River, Little Swanport, Earlham Lagoon, Browns River, Cloudy Bay Lagoon, Catamaran River, Cockle Creek, Pieman River, Nelson Bay River and Arthur River (for location, see Fig. 1 in the attached report). Information is summarised on both a State wide and individual estuary basis.
Simple
Identification info
- Date (Creation)
- 2007-10-30T10:33:00
Principal investigator
Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) - Crawford, Christine, Dr
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia
Collaborator
Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) - Murphy, Ray
- Purpose
- To describe spatial and temporal (intra-annual) patterns of variation in commonly measured water quality parameters, in 22 Tasmanian estuaries; provide baseline levels of water quality in each estuary; describe the relative state of health for each estuary and determine draft trigger levels for water quality indicators in Tasmania.
- Credit
- Natural Heritage Trust Coast and Cleans Seas Program CCS 17/97
- Status
- Completed
Principal investigator
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS) - Crawford, Christine, Dr
IMAS - Taroona
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia
Point of contact
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS) - Ross, Jeff, Dr
IMAS - Taroona
Private Bag 49
Hobart
TAS
7001
Australia
- Topic category
-
- Oceans
Extent
- Geographic identifier
-
Tasmania
- Title
- Marine Community Profile v1.2
- Date (Revision)
- 2006-10-13T00:00:00
Owner
Australian Ocean Data Centre Joint Facility
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Temporal extent
- Time period
- 1999-04-01T00:00:00 2000-06-01T00:00:00
Vertical element
- Minimum value
- 0
- Maximum value
- 10
- Identifier
- EPSG::5715
- Name
- MSL depth
- Maintenance and update frequency
- Not planned
Resource format
- Title
- Microsoft Excel (xls)
- Date
- Edition
- 2003
- Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords Version 8.0
- AODN Discovery Parameter Vocabulary
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- Practical salinity of the water body
- Temperature of the water body
- Concentration of oxygen {O2} per unit volume of the water body
- Saturation of oxygen {O2} in the water body [dissolved phase]
- Turbidity of the water body
- Concentration of nitrate {NO3} per unit volume of the water body
- Concentration of nitrite {NO2} per unit volume of the water body
- Concentration of nitrate and nitrite {NO3 and NO2} per unit volume of the water body
- Concentration of silicate {SiO4} per unit volume of the water body
- Concentration of chlorophyll-a per unit volume of the water body
Resource constraints
- Classification
- Unclassified
Resource constraints
- Use limitation
- The data described in this record are the intellectual property of the University of Tasmania through the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute.
Resource constraints
- Linkage
-
http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/au/88x31.png
License Graphic
- Title
- Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License
- Website
-
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/
License Text
- Other constraints
- The citation in a list of references is: citation author name/s (year metadata published), metadata title. Citation author organisation/s. File identifier and Data accessed at (add http link).
Associated resource
- Title
- Tasmanian Estuaries Monitoring
- Date (Creation)
- 2011-11-16T00:00:00
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
- Environment description
- Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (xls)
- Supplemental Information
- Murphy, RJ and Crawford, C and Barmuta, LA, Estuarine health in Tasmania, status and indicators: water quality, Natural Heritage Trust, 16 (2003)
Content Information
- Content type
- Physical measurement
Identifier
- Identifier
- http://vocab.aodn.org.au/def/unitsofmeasure/entity/481
- Name
- Practical Salinity Unit
Identifier
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UPAA
- Name
- Degrees Celsius
Identifier
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UMGL
- Name
- Milligrams per litre
Identifier
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UMGL
- Name
- Milligrams per litre
Identifier
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/USTU
- Name
- Nephelometric Turbidity Units
Identifier
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UMGL
- Name
- Milligrams per litre
Identifier
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UMGL
- Name
- Milligrams per litre
Identifier
- Name
-
NOx - N
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UGPL
- Name
- Micrograms per litre
- Description
- Expressed as "SiO4 - Si" in data set.
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UGPL
- Name
- Micrograms per litre
Identifier
- Identifier
- http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P06/current/UGPL
- Name
- Micrograms per litre
Distribution Information
- Distribution format
-
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CSV
-
CSV
- OnLine resource
-
DATA - Estuarine health [direct download]
- OnLine resource
-
REPORT - Final project report [direct download]
- OnLine resource
-
imas:NH3_CMCrawford_Estuarine_Health_Tasmania_GV
MAP - Locations of sampled estuaries
- OnLine resource
-
imas:NH3_CMCrawford_Estuarine_Health_Tasmania_GV
This OCG WFS service returns the data for download in subsettable CSV format.
Resource lineage
- Statement
- Water quality parameters were studied at 22 Tasmanian estuaries. Each estuary was then divided into three fixed zones. Zones were chosen to reflect the upper, middle and lower reaches (respectively, zones 1, 2 and 3) of each estuary. At each estuary, two sampling sites were randomly selected within each zone. Between July 1999 and June 2000, each estuary was sampled at two monthly intervals; a total of 6 sampling events at each estuary. Sampling was conducted from either a small boat or by wading and as close as possible to the time of low tide. On each sampling occasion, salinity (ppt), temperature (°C) and dissolved oxygen (mg l-1) were recorded at each site at the following depths (where applicable); the surface, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 10 m and at the bottom. During the study, salinity and temperature were measured with three instruments: a WTW LF196, WTW LF197 or Yeokal 602 Mk II. Dissolved oxygen (DO) was measured with either an OxyGuard Handy Mk III or WTW Oxy197 instrument. Due to equipment failure, DO was not always recorded. At each site, a two litre water sample was taken from just below the surface. Each water sample was stored in a plastic bottle, in the dark, for subsequent laboratory analysis of turbidity, nutrients (NOx-N, PO4-P, SiO4-Si), chlorophyll a and suspended solids. Some salinity, temperature, DO and turbidity data for February 2000 are unavailable, due to the theft of a vehicle containing field data sheets. Water samples were processed in the laboratory within 48 hours of collection, and were gently mixed before the removal of aliquots to be tested for each parameter. Turbidity was determined using a portable turbidity meter (HACH 2100P Turbimeter). For nutrient analysis, a 15 ml aliquot was filtered through a 1.2 μm pore size, 25 mm diameter glass fibre filter and frozen at -20°C. For chlorophyll analysis, an aliquot of 0.20 - 0.80 L was vacuum filtered through a 1.2 μm pore size, 47 mm diameter glass fibre filter. Filters were stored in individual plastic petri dishes, wrapped in aluminium foil (to exclude light) and frozen at -20°C. For analysis of suspended solids, a 0.15 - 0.80 L aliquot was vacuum filtered through a 1.2 μm pore size, 47 mm diameter glass fibre filter. Filters were stored in individual plastic petri dishes and frozen at -20°C. Prior to use, each filter had been heated to 500°C for at least 5 hours, cooled in a desiccator and pre-weighed. Nutrients Nutrient analysis was conducted up to 6 months after sample collection. Analyses were conducted using a Skalar Segmented Flow Analyser and modified Skalar (1993) methods. Nutrient standards within the general range of the samples to be analysed (5, 10 and 20 μg l-1 for NOx-N and PO4-P; 100, 200 and 400 μg l-1 for SiO4-Si) were prepared daily. For samples with relatively high nutrient concentrations, samples were diluted between 1:2 and 1:10 to be approximately within the range of standards used. Analytical runs consisted of approximately 18 samples per standard (i.e. each of the 3 standard concentrations then 18 samples, followed by each of the 3 standard concentrations then 18 samples, and so on). For NOx-N analysis, the cadmium column was reconditioned if significant reduction efficiency was observed. Regression equations were calculated of peak heights for the standards and, thus, sample concentrations were determined by comparison of peak heights obtained for each sample against the peak heights of the standards. Chlorohyll a Chlorophyll a analysis was conducted up to 2 months after sample collection. Samples were processed in subdued light using modified methods of Strickland and Parsons (1968). Each filter was roughly chopped into a centrifuge tube containing 14 ml of 90% acetone and the contents sonicated (Lab-Line Instruments Labsonic System) for approximately one minute. Sonicated samples were held in the dark for 15 min and were then centrifuged for 10 minutes. The clear supernatant was decanted into another centrifuge tube, centrifuged for 5 minutes and then held on ice to minimise chlorophyll degradation. The supernatant was decanted into a 4 cm path length cuvette and the extinction value measured against a 90% acetone blank at 750, 663, 645 and 630 nm using a Pye Unicam SP8-100 UV spectrophotometer. The concentration of chlorophyll a in the processed sample was calculated using the SCOR/UNESCO equation, C (chlorophyll a) = 11.64E663 – 2.16E645 + 0.10E630 (Eqn. 1) where E stands for the extinction values, at wavelengths indicated by the subscripts (after correcting for the blank at 750 nm, the path length of cuvette and the volume of acetone) (Strickland and Parsons 1968). The concentration of chlorophyll a in the water sample was calculated using the equation, Chlorophyll a (μg l-1) = C/V (Eqn. 2) where C is the value obtained from Eqn. 1 and V is the volume of water sample filtered. Suspended solids Suspended solid analysis was conducted up to 3 months after sample collection. Filters were dried at 110°C for 2 hrs, before being cooled in a desiccator and weighed. This process was repeated until the difference between consecutive readings was less than 0.2 mg. Filters were then heated at 480°C for 2 hrs, before being cooled in a desiccator and weighed. This process was repeated until the difference between consecutive readings was less than 0.2 mg. The concentration (mg l-1) of total suspended solids (TSS), volatile solids (VSS) and fixed solids (FSS) were calculated using the equations, TSS = F2 − F1 / V (Eqn. 3) VSS = F2 − F3 / V (Eqn. 4) FSS = TSS – VSS (Eqn. 5) where F1 is the initial weight of the filter disc, F2 is the weight after heating at 110°C, F3 is the weight after heating at 480°C and V is the volume of water filtered.
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
Platform
Identifier
- Code
- small boat
Metadata
- Metadata identifier
-
0f8262f0-8693-11dc-a9fc-00188b4c0af8
- Language
- English
- Character encoding
- UTF8
Point of contact
Type of resource
- Resource scope
- Dataset
- Metadata linkage
-
https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/0f8262f0-8693-11dc-a9fc-00188b4c0af8
Point of truth URL of this metadata record
- Date info (Creation)
- 2020-08-14T11:51:43
- Date info (Revision)
- 2020-08-14T11:51:43
Metadata standard
- Title
- ISO 19115-3:2018
Overviews
Spatial extent
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Provided by
Associated resources
Not available