Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Variation in Surface Water Quality in Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Australian Capital Territory

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Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Variation in Surface Water Quality in Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Australian Capital Territory Assessment of spatial and temporal variation in surface water quality in Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Australian Capital Territory Rahnum Tasnuva Nazmul A thesis in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy School of Physical Environmental and Mathematical Sciences UNSW Canberra October 2016 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Nazmul First name: Rahnum Other name/s:Tasnuva Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: MPhil School: School of Physical Environmental and Mathematical Faculty: UNSW Canberra Sciences Title: Assessment of spatial and temporal variation in surface water quality in Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Australian Capital Territory This Masters thesis aims to add to the knowledge of the spatio-temporal variation in surface water quality in Jerrabomberra Wetlands in order to provide information for managers as they seek to protect the values of the wetland, improve water quality and manage pollutants from the Fyshwick catchment. Located in the heart of Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Jerrabomberra Wetlands is a habitat for a variety of animals and plants. The Basin Priority Project (BPP), undertaken by the ACT and Commonwealth Governments to improve the quality of water flowing through the ACT includes this Fyshwick-Jerrabomberra catchment as a key site of mixed urban and agricultural land usage. Current study outcomes will add to the knowledge of the ACT wide water quality monitoring program. This project studied eight water quality parameters: water temperature, pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus and nitrate, and zinc using surface water samples collected from six locations at the south eastern corner of Jerrabomberra Wetlands on a weekly basis for four months in 2015. Results from spatial data plotted using a geographic information system found these parameters changing downstream in four different wetlands. Upstream wetlands were found to contain an elevated nitrate and zinc level compared to that in the downstream wetlands and exceed the guideline values provided by ACT Parliamentary Counsel (2005). Results from comparative assessment of the water quality data, tested using statistical parametric and non-parametric approaches, indicate that both of Wetland 22 and Wetland 24 are mostly dependent on catchment discharge, while the Billabong and Kellys Swamp were significantly different in nature with prominent groundwater effect with high electrical conductivity. An elevated total phosphorus level in two large bird habitats namely, the Billabong and Kellys Swamp was observed while it was considerably low in the upstream wetlands such as Wetland 22 and 24. These variations in water quality data in each wetland was mostly related to their characteristic feature and major water sources feeding the wetlands. Time series analysis of the observed weekly sampled data, when compared to archived data and event sampled results from BPP, indicate that the nutrient and zinc levels carried during storm events are higher than the observed values in the wetlands.. An important observation from this study is to find the upstream wetlands efficiently functioning in retaining zinc and other pollutants from flowing to the downstream. However, the pollutants present in the wetlands were lower than the amount predicted by the MUSIC model used by BPP indicating the need to include the fraction deposited as sediment and accumulated in plant species in future nutrient balance estimates. In conclusion, the spatio-temporal and comparative assessment of the data, contributes to understanding the effect of urban polluted stormwater from industrial areas in Jerrabomberra Wetlands and identified suitable locations for further monitoring sites, providing managers with information to assist decision- making. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). ……………………………………… …………….………………………………… ……………………………………… Signature Witness Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. ii Originality Statement ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed…....…………………… Date…………………………….. i Authenticity Statement ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………............................... ii Dedication To my beloved parents iii Acknowledgements My sincere gratitude goes to the Almighty Allah for blessing me with the opportunity of this Master of Philosophy program in a renowned university like University of New South Wales, Canberra. I would like to express my special thanks and gratefulness to my supervisor Associate Professor Stuart Pearson for his cooperation during this project. It was his careful supervision, encouragement and continuous guidance which helped to make the research possible. His mental support during the course work of the program was a driving force for me to pass through the hurdles. I am thankful to my co supervisor Professor Hans Riesen for his support and advice during the project, especially with the critical part of zinc determination. I am grateful to School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences for providing me with the scholarship and the excellent research facilities. In this regard, my special thanks to head of school Professor Warrick Lawson and Dean of Research Professor Hans Riesen. I thank all the staff of UNSW Canberra for their support and cooperation during my candidature. My thanks to Ms. Annabelle Boag for her support in academic administration needs. I am deeply thankful to Ms. Kate Badek, for her guidance and assistance in field work and laboratory analysis in this project. Academic Language and Learning (ALL) unit, UNSW Canberra, provided critical suggestions about my writing and Dr. Amy Griffin helped me a lot with GIS. My heartfelt thanks to them. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Jerrabomberra Wetland Management Authority and its members for their cooperation in this research project. Without their cooperation and necessary resources this project would not be possible. I am especially thankful to Dr. Ian Lawrence for his time and valuable suggestions during the project. Many thanks to my dear colleagues Anh, Amerita, Amanda, Bobby and James for their support and for being very good friend during my life in Australia. I am thankful to my friends Shaker Subarna, Rakib and Nawrin for being very helpful during my study here. Special thanks to my undergraduate teacher Mr. iv Shameem Ahmed, who stayed as a continual support with my family. Also thanks to Dr. Mahmud Ashraf and Dr. Safat Al-Deen for their help, advice and suggestions during my study. My gratitude and endless thanks to my beloved parents and my dear husband, my dear sister, brother in law, my niece Adeepta, mother in law and father in law for their love and support in my life. I am here today just because of their love and blessings. The encouragement I received from my parents was the main inspiration for me in this journey. Since childhood in each of my achievements the satisfying smile I saw in their faces brought me this far. I am truly grateful and thankful to my loving husband for everything he did during my academic life. I am very lucky to have a supportive husband like him. My words may fall short to thank him in this acknowledgment. It was truly impossible to complete my study without his consistent support and love. In a word, many thanks and my gratefulness to everyone for helping me to accomplish my goals this far. v vi Abstract This Masters thesis aims to add to the knowledge of the spatio-temporal variation in surface water quality in Jerrabomberra
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