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Environmental Management (2012) 50:237256 DOI 10.1007/s00267-012-9870-1
Using a Multi-Component Indicator Toward Reducing Phytoplankton Bloom Occurrences in the Swan River Estuary
Ria Kristiana Jason P. Antenucci
Jorg Imberger
Received: 30 July 2010 / Accepted: 9 April 2012 / Published online: 5 June 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012
Abstract The Swan River estuary is an icon of the city of Perth, Western Australia, running through the city centre and dividing the northern from the southern part of the city. However, frequent phytoplankton blooms have been observed in the estuary as a result of eutrophication. The Index of Sustainable Functionality (ISF), a composite index able to indicate for sustainable health of the estuary, was applied, taking into account the hydrology and highly seasonal nature of the estuary to inform the management of the estuary, towards the aim of reducing bloom occurrences. The study period was from the beginning of intensive monitoring in 1995 to mid-2009. The results emphasize the importance of physical controls on the ecology of the estuary. No signicant trend in the estuarys low functionality was found, indicating that despite extensive restoration efforts, the frequency of algal bloom occurrences has remained relatively stationary and other mitigating factors have maintained an annual average ISF value at around 70 % functionality. We identied that the low ow season consistently performs the worst, with (high) temperature found as the most dominant variable for phytoplankton growth and bloom. Thus in managing the estuary, vigilance is required during periods of high temperature and low ow. Focusing on the risk of phytoplankton bloom, a nutrient reduction program that is in place is a long term solution due to high concentrations in the estuary. Other management measures need to be considered and adopted to effectively reduce the occurrences of future phytoplankton blooms.
Keywords Indicators Phytoplankton blooms
Swan River estuary Sustainability
Water management Climate
Introduction
Estuaries link land and inland river systems to the ocean, and they are avenues for uxes of materials from the continents to the oceans. Estuaries also attract human activity and urban development, including many of the worlds largest cities (Hoare 2002). Thus, the management of estuaries is important, having implications not only for their health and bio-diversity, but also for coastal ecosystem health and human health. In recent...