Continuous Water Quality Monitoring on the Great Barrier Reef

[摘要] This report was undertaken to scope requirements for implementation of novel monitoring technologies, and to evaluate the use of in situ water quality monitoring systems to deliver enhanced data to eReefs modelling activities. Continuous Water Quality Monitoring (CWQM) refers to the application of in situ instrumentation coupled with operational and analytical methodologies that enable acquisition of temporally and (or) spatially dense datasets without the need for routine collection and analysis of physical samples other than for periodic calibration purposes.The scoping of requirements and evaluation of suitability of CWQM technology involved: (1) definition of the priority observational requirements to support the development and operation of eReefs models; (2) evaluation of the range of environmental conditions that occur in Great Barrier Reef (GBR) fresh, estuarine and marine waters; (3) a prioritisation of catchments based on annual discharge and constituent loads to the GBR; and (4) assessing major monitoring activities for the purposes of identifying key opportunities for collaboration and co-investment.A range of market-ready technologies were evaluated which can be used to measure: (i) flow and discharge, (ii) physico-chemical parameters such as salinity, temperature and pH, (iii) nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), (iv) sediment (turbidity, suspended sediment concentration and particle size), and (v) biological parameters, including chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, and carbon. The report provides an overview of the analytical approaches available and some of the more common commercially available instruments. More detailed information on the various commercial products can also be accessed through a purpose-built, web-based, database available at http://acef.tern.org.au/wqtech/.A number of these technologies were piloted and evaluated across several Queensland estuarine and marine settings, using both existing and purpose-built infrastructure.Criteria for evaluation of CWQM technologies included: (i) utility of analyte to both modelling and monitoring requirements, (ii) ability to measure analyte concentrations accurately and capture relevant temporal and spatial variability, (iii) cost, both capital and ongoing operational, (iv) logistics, including maintenance requirements, mounting, telemetry infrastructure and site access, and (v) ease of instrument operation and the required effort for information to be understood and applied.This collective experience has been used to provide practical guidance on the options for fixed and mobile infrastructure options, field maintenance and data management and visualisation. Resourcing for capital equipment and infrastructure and notional operating costs have been estimated and used to develop a proposed strategy for implementation of CWQM to support eReefs in both the short- and long-term.

[发布日期] 2015-01-05 [发布机构] CSIRO

[学科分类] 地球科学(综合)