Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program: Flood Plume Monitoring Annual Report 2010-11 Incorporating results from the Extreme Weather Response Program flood plume monitoring Final Report ACTFR REPORT NUMBER 12/02 Prepared by Michelle Devlin1, Amelia Wenger1,2,3 Jane Waterhouse1, Jorge Alvarez- Romero1,3, Brett Abbott2, Eduardo Teixeira da Silva1 1 Catchment to Reef Research Group. Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research James Cook University, Townsville, Australia 2 Landscape & Community Ecology. CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences. Townsville, Australia 3Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia 4School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD ,Australia Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... ii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................... ix 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. 2010-11 flow conditions and sampling ................................................................................... 1 1.2. Water quality characteristics .................................................................................................. 2 1.3. Site specific risk assessment ................................................................................................... 4 1.4. Mapping of surface exposure (long term exposure and 2011) .............................................. 5 2. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 6 3. WATER QUALITY METHODS ................................................................................................................ 8 3.1. Sampling design ...................................................................................................................... 8 3.1. Sample collection .................................................................................................................... 8 3.2. Research collaboration ......................................................................................................... 11 3.3. Laboratory analysis ............................................................................................................... 11 3.3.1. Dissolved and total nutrients ........................................................................................ 11 3.3.2. Phytoplankton pigments ............................................................................................... 12 3.3.3. Total suspended solids .................................................................................................. 12 3.3.4. Coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) ................................................................. 12 3.3.5. Pesticides ...................................................................................................................... 13 3.4. Regional sampling ................................................................................................................. 13 3.4.1. Fitzroy region –WQ sites ............................................................................................... 13 3.4.2. Burdekin region – WQ and sediment sites ................................................................... 15 3.4.3. Wet Tropics region – WQ sites ...................................................................................... 16 3.5. Methods for Reporting ......................................................................................................... 18 3.5.1. Developing a flood water quality metric ...................................................................... 18 3.5.2. Mapping the extent of flood plumes ............................................................................ 19 4. WATER QUALITY RESULTS ................................................................................................................. 21 4.1. 2010-11Weather Events ....................................................................................................... 21 4.2. Flow conditions 2010-11 ....................................................................................................... 24 4.2.1. GBR catchment flow conditions .................................................................................... 24 4.2.2. Regional flow characteristics ........................................................................................ 28 4.3. Water quality characteristics ................................................................................................ 32 ii 4.3.1. Fitzroy ............................................................................................................................ 33 4.3.2. Burdekin ........................................................................................................................ 40 4.3.3. Wet Tropics ................................................................................................................... 43 4.4. Material Transport ................................................................................................................ 54 4.4.1. Transport of nutrients ................................................................................................... 54 4.5. Water Quality Index .............................................................................................................. 57 5. MAPPING METHODS ......................................................................................................................... 60 5.1. Remote sensing methodology/GIS ....................................................................................... 60 5.2. Mapping the extent of surface plume waters ...................................................................... 62 5.3. Mapping the transport of surface pollutants within plume waters ..................................... 63 5.4. Mapping of plume characteristics through L2 products ....................................................... 65 5.5. Annual reporting of the surface exposure of river plumes. .................................................. 66 6. MAPPING RESULTS ........................................................................................................................... 67 6.1. Overview ............................................................................................................................... 67 6.2. Estimating surface exposure of flood plume waters ............................................................ 67 6.3. Mapping the transport of surface pollutants within plume waters ..................................... 74 6.4. Mapping of water types for GBR plume waters ................................................................... 77 7. DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................................... 81 7.1. 2010-11 water quality characteristics ................................................................................... 81 7.2. Flood extent, water types and surface exposure 2010-11 ................................................... 82 7.3. Potential impacts associated with 2010-11 events .............................................................. 83 7.3.1. Inshore coral reef monitoring 2005-2011 ..................................................................... 83 7.3.1. MMP Seagrass Status 2005-2011 ................................................................................. 84 7.3.2. Water quality influences - Acute risk and chronic risk ................................................. 85 7.3.3. Wet Tropics region ........................................................................................................ 86 7.3.4. Fitzroy region ................................................................................................................ 87 8. CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 90 8.1. Future directions ................................................................................................................... 91 9. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 92 APPENDIX 1: PUBLICATIONS AND COMMUNICATION .................................................................................... 97 9.1. Communications, major activities or events ........................................................................ 97 9.2. Radio interviews .................................................................................................................... 97 9.3. Newspaper and magazine articles (some examples) ............................................................ 97 9.4. Documentary footage ..........................................................................................................