Project Leader and Host Organisation

Dr Petra Kuhnert, CSIRO

Project Description and Objectives

For detailed descriptions of the outputs for this project for Year 4 (2009/2010) of the MTSRF Research Programme, see the Annual Research Plan.

The export of pollutants from coastal catchments has important implications for the health of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Regional Natural Resource Management Plans and Water Quality Improvement Plans seek to improve coastal water quality and are underpinned by a set of load-based targets for these pollutants (e.g. sediments, nutrients). 

There is a strong need to identify appropriate statistical methods for reliably estimating annual pollutants loads (with some measure of uncertainty) based on monitoring data,  and assessing progress towards defined loads targets.  When pollutant load data is collected over a number of years there is also a need for methods for assessing trends in those loads.

In collaboration with the Queensland Government, Terrain NRM and stakeholders from the Reef Rescue Task Force, this project will synthesise existing knowledge and information, and where necessary develop methods, for evaluating and reporting pollutant loads from the Great Barrier Reef catchments.  This synthesis is essential to the development of common agreed approaches across all regions for measuring loads and assessing them relative to targets.  Pilot subcatchment areas will be identified in the wet and dry tropic regions and used to demonstrate the approaches. The approach will be tested for use for identifying priorities for the Reef Rescue Plan.

The key project objectives over the 2007-2010 period are to:

• Identify robust and scientifically defensible statistical methods for the estimation of annual pollutant loads, with quantified measures of uncertainty, from monitoring data for the GBR catchments. These methods need to build on existing work, consider the data availability and characteristics, and address the nature of the local environment.

• Develop approaches for reliably assessing the progress towards defined loads targets and estimating trends in pollutant loads.

• Conduct case studies in the wet and dry tropics in collaboration with NRW regional groups to demonstrate the performance of these methods.

• Test approaches for use by the Reef Rescue Plan

• Develop a communication strategy for reporting pollutants loads and the progress towards defined targets over both time and space. This will identify those aspects that need to be reported as a part of giving a credible load assessment.

• Inform the current monitoring so that it may be adapted, where necessary, so as to provide more accurate and precise load estimates.