Seagrass habitats: conditions and threatsData identification and acquisition
Kathryn McMahon, Kieryn Kilminster, James Udy, Michelle Waycott, Gary Kendrick, Chris Roelfsema, Robert Canto, Mitchell Lyons, Vanessa Lucier, Lynda Radke, Peter Scanes
GOAL: Nation-wide, spatially explicit, risk assessment for seagrass habitat
WHY?• Seagrass habitat – significant ecosystem services• Globally declining at a significant rate• Australia – high diversity, biggest meadows, large
losses, some species being considered as threatened ecological community
• Risk assessment to identify areas to focus management
GOAL: Nation-wide, spatially explicit, risk assessment for seagrass habitat
✔
✔
✔
✔
GOAL: Nation-wide, spatially explicit, risk assessment for seagrass habitat
STEPS:Develop a habitat mapIdentify risks (current & with future climate change)Acquire suitable risk layersAssign riskRun the risk assessment
✔
✔
✔
✔
Approach
Logo
Approach
Logo
Approach
Logo
Habitat mapPotential seagrass presence
Base-map, 10 x 10 km, presence/absence, compiled from multiple sources(Mount and Bricher 2008, Estuarine, Coastal and Marine Habitat Mapping Project – Dept Climate Change, National Land & Water Resources Audit )
+ Maps sourced (SA Government; SA, Dept Water & UWA, WA; UQ, Qld).+Expert opinion (ACEAS working group)
Logo
NSW
10 km grid cells
Seagrass present
Habitat map
Identification challenges• lack of metadata• limited open access data exchange• consistency of approach i.e. assumptions with combining,
error propagation
Acquisition challenges• permissions• aware more data available but considerable time to source
& assess quality
Risk layers• Identify relevant pressures / threats• Identify data-sets that reflect these
risks or relevant proxies of these risks• Assign categories of risk
None, Low, Moderate, High
Logo
Relevant Pressures
Define bioregionsIdentify habitats in each bioregion
Pressures & risk layers
Pressures & risk layers
✖✖
✖
✖✖
Pressures & risk layers✔✔✔✔✔✔
✔
✔✔✔
✖✖
✖
✖✖
Pressures & risk layers✔✔✔✔✔✔
✔
✔✔✔
✖✖
✖
✖✖
Industrial land-use, ABARES BRS – 1km pixel AVHRR, http://adl.brs.gov.au
Pressures & risk layers✔✔✔✔✔✔
✔
✔✔✔
✖✖
✖
✖✖
Port locations, Australian Customs & Border Protection Servicehttp://data.gov.au/dataset/australian-ports
Industrial land-use, ABARES BRS – 1km pixel AVHRR, http://adl.brs.gov.au
Pressures & risk layers✔✔✔✔✔✔
✔
✔✔✔
✖✖
✖
✖✖
Vessel track history, Australian Maritime Safety Authoritywww.operations.amsa.gov.au/Spatial/Dataservices/CraftTrackingRequest
Port locations, Australian Customs & Border Protection Servicehttp://data.gov.au/dataset/australian-ports
Industrial land-use, ABARES BRS – 1km pixel AVHRR, http://adl.brs.gov.au
Pressures & risk layers✔✔✔✔✔✔
✔
✔✔✔
✖✖
✖
✖✖
Oil & Gas production wells, www.geoscience.gov.auDoes not include pipelines, data held by each state, restricted
Vessel track history, Australian Maritime Safety Authoritywww.operations.amsa.gov.au/Spatial/Dataservices/CraftTrackingRequest
Port locations, Australian Customs & Border Protection Servicehttp://data.gov.au/dataset/australian-ports
Industrial land-use, ABARES BRS – 1km pixel AVHRR, http://adl.brs.gov.au
Pressures & risk layers✔✔✔✔✔✔
✔
✔✔✔
✖✖
✖
✖✖
CSIRO Modelling, http://www.csiro.au/ozclim/http://www.cmar.csiro.au/ 2070 predictions based on IPCC A1F1 scenario
Oil & Gas production wells, www.geoscience.gov.auDoes not include pipelines, data held by each state, restricted
Vessel track history, Australian Maritime Safety Authoritywww.operations.amsa.gov.au/Spatial/Dataservices/CraftTrackingRequest
Port locations, Australian Customs & Border Protection Servicehttp://data.gov.au/dataset/australian-ports
Industrial land-use, ABARES BRS – 1km pixel AVHRR, http://adl.brs.gov.au
Pressures & risk layers✔✔✔✔✔✔
✔
✔✔✔
✖✖
✖
✖✖
CSIRO Modelling, http://www.csiro.au/ozclim/http://www.cmar.csiro.au/ 2070 predictions based on IPCC A1F1 scenario
Oil & Gas production wells, www.geoscience.gov.auDoes not include pipelines, data held by each state, restricted
Vessel track history, Australian Maritime Safety Authoritywww.operations.amsa.gov.au/Spatial/Dataservices/CraftTrackingRequest
Port locations, Australian Customs & Border Protection Servicehttp://data.gov.au/dataset/australian-ports
Industrial land-use, ABARES BRS – 1km pixel AVHRR, http://adl.brs.gov.au
No clear variable, combination of nutrient & sediment loads &resuspension
Current risk assignment: Ports
RISKHigh Cells containing ports Moderate Cells adjacent to highLow Cells adjacent to moderate No All other cells
Current risk assignment: Ports
RISKHigh Cells containing ports Moderate Cells adjacent to highLow Cells adjacent to moderate No All other cells
Current risk assignment: Ports
RISKHigh Cells containing ports Moderate Cells adjacent to highLow Cells adjacent to moderate No All other cells
Sediment and nutrient delivery•No Australia-wide data set (SEDNET had no modeled loads for >60% catchments)•Instead used NLWRA of estuarine condition combined with flow data (BOM)
Sediment and nutrient delivery•No Australia-wide data set (SEDNET had no modeled loads for >60% catchments)•Instead used NLWRA of estuarine condition combined with flow data (BOM)
Catchment condition
Sediment and nutrient delivery•No Australia-wide data set (SEDNET had no modeled loads for >60% catchments)•Instead used NLWRA of estuarine condition combined with flow data (BOM)
Catchment condition
Sediment and nutrient delivery•No Australia-wide data set (SEDNET had no modeled loads for >60% catchments)•Instead used NLWRA of estuarine condition combined with flow data (BOM)
Catchment condition
Sediment and nutrient delivery•No Australia-wide data set (SEDNET had no modeled loads for >60% catchments)•Instead used NLWRA of estuarine condition combined with flow data (BOM)
Catchment condition
Greater risk if stream flow more constant
(sqrt(mean daily flow/monthly variance)
Chronic sediment and nutrients
Sediment and nutrient delivery•No Australia-wide data set (SEDNET had no modeled loads for >60% catchments)•Instead used NLWRA of estuarine condition combined with flow data (BOM)
Catchment condition
Greater risk if stream flow more constant
(sqrt(mean daily flow/monthly variance)
Chronic sediment and nutrients
Greater risk if stream flow extremely patchy (i.e. floods)
(# days where streamflow >1SD above mean)
Acute sediment and nutrients
Sediment and nutrient delivery•No Australia-wide data set (SEDNET had no modeled loads for >60% catchments)•Instead used NLWRA of estuarine condition combined with flow data (BOM)
Catchment condition
Greater risk if stream flow more constant
(sqrt(mean daily flow/monthly variance)
Chronic sediment and nutrients
Greater risk if stream flow extremely patchy (i.e. floods)
(# days where streamflow >1SD above mean)
Acute sediment and nutrients
Spatial extent of impact Spatial extent of impact greater if annual stream flow (GL) greater
Chronic or acute risk determined by nearest stream flow data
BOM streamflow data (supplemented in WA)Stations mapped to nearest bit of coastlineConfidence measure related to distance of estuary mouth to coastline-adjusted streamflow station (shown as crosshairs below).
Chronic risk :
Risk categories
10 x 10 km grid cells
SummaryChallenges for data identification & acquisition
• lack of metadata – corporate knowledge important• limited open access data exchange• consistency of approach i.e. assumptions with combining, error
propagation
• identifying relevant data-sets – reflect pressure/risk, iterative• appropriate spatial & temporal scale (i.e. 10 x 10 km, Australian-wide)• strategies for dealing with data-gaps
• assumptions for each layer• identifying risk not predicting response
Logo
Thank youAcknowledgements
ACEAS working groupRobert Canto (UQ-GIS manipulation)Data custodians for data sharing
Authors AffiliationKathryn McMahon-Edith Cowan UniversityKieryn Kilminster-Department of Water, WAJames Udy-Healthy Waterways, QldMichelle Waycott-University of Adelaide, DEWNRGary Kendrick-University of WAChris Roelfsema-University of QueenslandRobert Canto-University of QueenslandMitchell Lyons-University of NSWVanessa Lucier – University of TasmaniaLynda Radke – Geosciences AustraliaPeter Scanes – Office of Environment and Heritage, NSW
Logo