Estuaries of Australia in 2050 and beyond (Estuaries of the World)

The book addresses the questions: Is Australia’s rapidly growing human population and economy environmentally sustainable for its estuaries and coasts? What is needed to enable sustainable development? To answer these questions, this book reports detailed studies of 20 iconic Australian estuaries and bays by leading Australian estuarine scientists. That knowledge is synthesised in time and space across Australia to suggest what Australian estuaries will look like in 2050 and beyond based on socio-economic decisions that are made now, and changes that are needed to ensure sustainability. The book also has a Prologue by Mr Malcolm Fraser, former Prime Minister of Australia, which bridges environmental science, population policy and sustainability. This book (the first in the collection) deals with a selection of estuaries which are characteristic of a whole continent: Australia. The country is so large that it spreads from the tropics (10th parallel) to the temperate zone in Tasmania. Estuaries themselves differ by an order of magnitude in terms of size; yet, they all have common properties and processes. In Australia, as anywhere else in the world, the coastal zone and its estuaries, large or small, are amongst the most endangered areas. Pollution, eutrophication, urbanisation, land reclamation, dams, irrigation, over-fishing and exploitation continuously threaten the future of some estuaries, which bear the full pressure of these developments. However, unaffected systems still exist in Australia and, if not strictly pristine, enjoy an exceptional ecological quality. In between these two categories, unfortunately some high-quality environments are currently being degraded because of loose management. The major challenge that humans face today is protecting estuaries, which benefit from a good ecological status, by managing their use. Preventing other systems to further degrade and restoring them require immediate action so that future generations can also enjoy the fantastic visual, cultural and edible products that they provide. Such an approach assumes that all users of the environment share views and are able to communicate wisely on the basis of robust science. Current changes in climate (e.g. temperature rise, sea-level rise, increased risks of floods and droughts and ocean acidification) may increase the risk of abrupt and non-linear changes in many estuarine ecosystems, which would affect their composition, function, biodiversity and productivity. In order to provide a solid scientific background to future debates, this book does not just attempt compiling case studies but puts into light best practice both in scientific research and coastal management Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Estuaries of Australia in 2050 and Beyond – A Synthesis....Pages 1-13 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 Sydney Estuary, Australia: Geology, Anthropogenic Development and Hydrodynamic Processes/Attributes....Pages 17-30 The Murray/Coorong Estuary: Meeting of the Waters?....Pages 31-47 Port Phillip Bay....Pages 49-68 Past, Present and Futures of the Tamar Estuary, Tasmania....Pages 69-89 Front Matter....Pages 91-91 Gold Coast Broadwater: Southern Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland (Australia)....Pages 93-109 Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport in a Macro-tidal Estuary: Darwin Harbour, Australia....Pages 111-129 The Ord River Estuary: A Regulated Wet-Dry Tropical River System....Pages 131-152 South Australia’s Large Inverse Estuaries: On the Road to Ruin....Pages 153-166 Turbulent Mixing and Sediment Processes in Peri-Urban Estuaries in South-East Queensland (Australia)....Pages 167-183 Hervey Bay and Its Estuaries....Pages 185-201 Moreton Bay and Its Estuaries: A Sub-tropical System Under Pressure from Rapid Population Growth....Pages 203-222 Water Resource Development and High Value Coastal Wetlands on the Lower Burdekin Floodplain, Australia....Pages 223-245 The Hawkesbury Estuary from 1950 to 2050....Pages 247-257 Front Matter....Pages 259-259 Deluge Inlet, a Pristine Small Tropical Estuary in North-Eastern Australia....Pages 261-275 Recent, Rapid Evolution of the Lower Mary River Estuary and Flood Plains....Pages 277-287 Back Matter....Pages 289-292