Environmental and biological aspects of the mass mortality of pilchards (Autumn 1995) in Western Australia

The first pilchard deaths were reported in South Australia during March 1995 in the eastern region of the Great Australian Bight. Subsequently, dead pilchards were found both east and west of this point source moving in a 'bushfire-like' front at an average of 3Q km/day. By early May the fronts had reached Albany in Western Australia f0il A) and Bass Strait in Victoria. They continued moving up both coasts, reaching Carnarvon f0il A) and Noosa Heads (Queensland) by the end of June, thereby affecting pilchards throughout their entire Australian distribution (6700 km). In early June, a similar pattern of deaths began to occur in the north of New Zealand..

Plankton dynamics in Leschenault Inlet and comparisons with the Peel-Harvey estuary

Concerns over weed accumulations on beaches and possible nutrient enrichment prompted an investigation into phytoplankton dynamics of Leschenault Inlet. The composition of the phytoplankton community, its relative density and the amplitude seasonal density changes were investigated over an eighteen month period. The zooplankton community was also sampled during summer to identify dominant organisms. The phytoplankton community was dominated by marine and estuarine diatoms for most of the year. Species having a freshwater affinity were observed for short periods during winter, and included diatoms, dinoflagellates, cyanophytes and cryptophytes. These species were probably transported into the estuary with winter runoff from streams throughout the catchment. There was a high proportion of normally benthic or epiphytic species in surface waters consistent with very shallow depths and significant wind mixing for much of the year. Some of these species were observed attached to seagrass leaves. There was considerable spatial and temporal variability in cell densities and species numbers throughout the estuary. Short-term blooms in excess of 5 000 cells mL-1 were observed in the estuary during autumn and spring. The presence of blooms indicates that Leschenault Inlet may be experiencing some nutrient enrichment although greater species numbers than observed in the highly nutrient enriched Peel and Harvey estuaries suggest that Leschenault Inlet may only be mildly nutrient enriched. Further investigations into sediment and nutrient inputs and the autecology of phytoplankton indicator species may assist in determining the nutrient status of Leschenault Inlet

Marine Climate Change in Australia: impacts and adaptation responses: 2009 report card

This Report Card summarises present knowledge on marine climate change impacts and identifies knowledge gaps and adaptation responses in Australia. It was produced\ud by an author team representing 35 universities and organisations, a project team from the CSIRO Climate Adaptation National Research Flagship, and a steering group\ud comprising representatives from the sponsor organisations [National Climate Change and Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF); CSIRO Climate Adaptation National Research Flagship; and the Australian Climate Change Science Program (ACCSP)]