Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transport, retention and transformation of material in Australian estuaries

  • Published:
Estuaries Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Australian estuaries can be classified into five groups on the basis of their hydrology: Mediterranean, Temperate, Transitional, Arid Tropical and Subtropical, and Wet and Dry Tropical and Subtropical. Most Australian estuaries (68%) are wet and dry tropical and subtropical systems. The five groups of estuaries found in Australia are similar to those found in other parts of the world, but within each individual category the estuaries are more variable. This variability reflects a combination of the extreme hydrology of Australian rivers and the geomorphology of Australian estuaries, which are shallow due to tectonic stability and low coastal relief. Episodic freshwater flows control the transport, retention, and transformation of material in most Australian estuaries, and for only a small part of the year during high flow events do most Australian rivers and estuaries contribute a significant amount of material to the continental shelf. Research and monitoring efforts need to be directed toward evaluating the role episodic freshwater discharges play in the functioning of Australia’s estuaries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Alyushinskaya, N. M., K. P. Voskresenskiy, T. Ye. Grigorkina, A. G. Kovzel, O. L. Markova, A. Ye. Rybkina, andA. A. Sokoloy. 1977. Global runoff.Soviet Hydrology 16:127–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, I. D. 1973. Effects of tropical storm Anges on epifaunal invertebrates in Virginia estuaries.Chesapeake Science 14: 223–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anonymous. 1978. Variability of runoff in Australia. Australian Water Resources Council Hydrological Series No. 11.

  • Anonymous. 1987. GESAMP: Land/sea boundary flux of contaminants: Contributions from rivers. GESAMP Reports and Studies No. 32. United Nations Environment Programme, New York.

  • Anonymous. 1990. GESAMP: The state of the marine environment. United Nations Environment Programme Regional Seas Report Studies No. 115. United Nations Environment Programme, New York.

  • Baldwin, C. L. 1988. Nutrients in the Great Barrier reef Region. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Workshop No. 10. Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

  • Balls, P. W. 1994. Nutrient inputs to estuaries from nine Scottish east coast rivers: Influence of estuarine processes on inputs to the North Sea.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 39: 329–352.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bayly, I. A. E. 1965. Ecological studies on the plankton Copepoda of the Brisbane River Estuary with special reference toGladioferens Pectinatus (Brady) (Calanoida).Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 16:315–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayly, I. A. E. 1975. Australian Estuaries, p. 41–66.In M. A. Elliot, and H. A. Nix, (eds.), Managing Aquatic Ecosystems. Volume 8. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia. Watson Ferguson & Company. Brisbane, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, R. E., R. J. Lukatelich, A. I. McComb, andJ. E. Rosher. 1981. Exchange of water, salt, nutrients, and phytoplankton between Peel Inlet, Western Australia, and the Indian Ocean.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 32:709–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bucher, D. andP. Saenger. 1991. An inventory of Australian estuaries and enclosed marine waters: An overview of results.Australian Geographical Studies 29:370–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bucher, D. andP. Saenger 1994. A classification of tropical and subtropical estuaries.Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 4:1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bulleid, N. C. 1983. The nutrient cycle of an intermittently stratified estuary, p. 56–75.In W. Cuff and M. Tomczak, Jr. (eds.), Synthesis and Modelling of Intermittent Estuaries: An Interdisciplinary Study of a Small Australian Estuary. Springer. New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryce, S., P. Larcombe, andP. V. Ridd. 1995. Sediment transport in the Normanby River estuary, northern Great Barrier Reef Shelf, Australia, p. 22–26.In P. Larcombe and K. Woolfe (eds.), Great Barrier Reef: Terrigenous Sediment Flux and Human Impacts. CRC Reef Research, Normanby-Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cadee, G. C. 1978. Primary production and chlorophyll in the Zaire River, estuary and plume.Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 12:368–381.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christian, R. R., J. N. Boyer, andD. W. Stanley. 1991. Multiyear distribution patterns of nutrients within the Neuse River estuary, North Carolina.Marine Ecology Progress Series 71:259–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Church, T. M. 1986 Biogeochemical factors influencing the residence time of microconstituents in a large tidal estuary, Delaware Bay.Marine Chemistry 18:393–406.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cifuentes, L. A., L. E. Schemel, andJ. H. Sharp. 1990. Qualitative and numerical analyses of the effects of river inflow variations on mixing diagrams in estuaries.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 30:411–427.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cloern, J. E., 1991 Annual variations in river flow and primary production in the south San Francisco bay estuary, p. 91–96.In M. Elliot and D. Ducrotoy (eds.), Estuaries and Coasts: Spatial and Temporal Intercomparisons. Olsen and Olsen, Fredensborg, Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cloern, J. E. 1996. Phytoplankton bloom dynamics in coastal ecosystems: A review with some genera lessons from sustained investigations of San Francisco Bay, California.Reviews of Geophysics 34:127–168.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cosser, P. R. 1989. Nutrient concentration-flow relationships and loads in the South Pine River, South-eastern Queensland. 1 Phosphorus loads.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 40:613–630.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Currey, M. 1991. Estuarine studies in Sydney’s northern metropolitan region, Report No. 91/19. Sydney Water Board, Scientific Service. Sydney, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cyrus, D. P. 1988. Episodic events and estuaries: Effects of cyclonic flushing of the benthic fauna and diet ofSolea bleekeri (Teleostei) in Lake St Lucia on the south-eastern coast of Africa.Journal of Fish Biology 33 (supplement A):1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Adamo, N., C. Simpsom, D. Mills, J. Imberger, and A. McComb. 1992. The influence of stratification on the ecological response of two western Australian embayments to nutrient enrichment.Science of the Total Environment Supplement:829–850.

  • Davies, P. E. andS. R. Kalish. 1994. Influence of river hydrology on the dynamics and water quality of the upper Derwent Estuary, Tasmania.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45:109–130.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Jonge, V. N., W. Boynton, C. F. D’Elia, R. Elmgren, andB. L. Welsh. 1994. Responses to developments in eutrophication in four different North Atlantic estuarine systems, p. 179–196.In K. R. Dyer and R. J. Orth (eds.), Changes in Fluxes in Estuaries: Implications From Science to Management. Olsen and Olsen, Fredenborg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doering, P. H., C. A. Oviatt, andM. E. Q. Pilson. 1990. Control of nutrient concentrations in the Seekonk-Providence River region of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.Estuaries 13: 418–430.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Edgar, G. J. andG. R. Cresswell. 1991. Seasonal changes in hydrology and the distribution of plankton in the Bathurst Harbour Estuary, southwestern Tasmania, 1988–1989.Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 125:61–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmond, J. M., E. A. Boyle, B. Grant, andR. F. Stallard. 1981. The chemical mass balance in the Amazon plume I: The nutrients.Deep-Sea Research 28A:1339–1374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eyre, B. D. 1995. A first-order nutrient budget for the tropical Moresby Estuary and catchment North Queensland, Australia.Journal of Coastal Research 11:717–732.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eyre, B. D. 1997. Water quality changes in an episodically flushed sub-tropical Australian estuary: A 50 year perspective.Marine Chemistry 59:177–187.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eyre, B. D. and P. Balls. 1999. A comparative study of nutrient behavior along the salinity gradient of tropical and temperate estuaries.Estuaries 22:(In press).

  • Eyre, B. D., S. Hossain, and L. McKee. 1998. A suspended sediment budget for the modified subtropical Brisbane River estuary, Australia.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 47:(in press).

  • Eyre, B. D. andD. McConchie. 1993. Implications of sedimentological studies for environmental pollution assessment and management: Examples from fluvial systems in North Queensland and Western Australia.Sedimentary Geology 85: 235–252.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eyre, B. D. andC. Twigg. 1997 Nutrient behaviour during post-flood recovery of the Richmond River Estuary northern NSW, Australia.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 44:311–326.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Finlayson, B. L. andT. A. McMahon. 1988. Australia v the world: A comparative analysis of streamflow characteristics, p. 17–40.In Fluvial Geomorphology of Australia. Academic Press, Sydney, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, T. R., L. W. Harding, D. W. Stanley, andL. G. Ward. 1988. Phytoplankton, nutrients, and turbidity in Chesapeake, Delaware, and Hudson estuaries.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 27:61–93.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Furnas, M. J. 1995. Land-sea interactions and oceanographic processes affecting the nutrient dynamics and productivity of Australian marine ecosystems, p. 61–74.In L. P. Zann (ed.), SOMER Technical Annex 1. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabric, A. J. andP. R. F. Bell. 1993. Review of the effects of non-point nutrient loading on coastal ecosystems.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 44:261–283.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gallegos, C. L., T. E. Jordan, andD. L. Correll. 1992. Eventscale response of phytoplankton to watershed inputs in a subestuary: Timing, magnitude, and location of blooms.Limnology and Oceanography 37:813–828.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gieskes, W. W. C. andB. E. M. Schaub. 1990. Correlation of the seasonal and annual variation of phytoplankton biomass in Dutch coastal waters of the North Sea with Rhine River discharge.Coastal and Estuarine Studies 36:460–463.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guiler, E. R. 1955. Observations on the hydrology of the River Derwent, Tasmania.Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 89:65–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, G., G. Bately, P. Jerakoff, B. Newell, D. Fox, R. Molloy, J. Parslow, S. Walker, D. Hall, A. Murray, andG. Skyring. 1996. Port Phillip Bay environmental study final report. CSIRO, Camberra, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, M. 1995. An holistic analysis of the coupling between physical and biological processes in the coastal zone.Ophelia 42:95–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, C. W., I. C. Small, andD. Cannon. 1980. Some factors involved in the occurrence and limitation of algal blooms in an Australian estuary.Progress in Water Technology 12:421–443.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hillman, K., R. J. Lukatelich, andA. J. McComb. 1990. The impact of nutrient enrichment on nearshore and estuarine ecosystems in Western Australia.Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 16:39–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodgkin, E. P., P. B. Birch, R. E. Black, andR. B. Humphries. 1980. The Peel-Harvey estuarine system study (1976–1980). Report No. 9, Department of Conservation and Environment, Perth, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodgkin, E. P. 1987. The hydrology of the Swan River estuary: Salinity the ecological master factor, p. 34–43.In J. John (ed.), Swan River Estuary, Ecology and Management. Curtin University Environmental Studies Group Report No. 1. Perth, Australia.

  • Hodgkin, E. P. and R. Clark. 1988a. An Inventory of Information on the Estuaries and Coastal Lagoons of Southwestern Australia. Nornalup and Walpole Inlets. Environmental Protection Authority, Western Australia. Estuaries Studies Series No. 2. Perth, Australia.

  • Hodgkin, E. P. and R. Clark. 1988b. An Inventory of Information on the Estuaries and Coastal Lagoons of Southwestern Australia. Beaufort Inlet and Gordon Inlet. Environmental Protection Authority, Western Australia Estuaries Studies Series No. 4. Perth, Australia.

  • Hodgkin, E. P. and R. Clark. 1989. An Inventory of Information on the Estuaries and Coastal Lagoons of Southwestern Australia. Estuaries of the Shire of Esperance. Environmental Protection Authority, Western Australia Estuaries Studies Series No. 5. Perth, Australia.

  • Hodgkin, E. P. and R. Clark. 1990. An Inventory of Information on the Estuaries and Coastal Lagoons of Southwestern Australia. Estuaries of the Shire of Albany. Environmental Protection Authority, Western Australia Estuaries Studies Series No. 8. Perth, Australia.

  • Hopkinson, C. S., andJ. J. Vallino. 1995. The relationship among man’s activities in watershed and estuaries: A model of runoff effects on patterns of estuarine community metabolism.Estuaries 18:598–621.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hossain, S. 1997. Hydrology and suspended sediment transport in the Richmond River catchment and estuary, NSW, Australia. Ph.D. Dissertation, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jack, P. 1987. Nutrient monitoring in the Swan River, p. 45–64.In J. John (ed.) Swan River Estuary, Ecology and Management. Curtin University Environmental Studies Group Report No. 1. Perth, Australia.

  • Jones, G. B., andF. G. Thomas. 1988. Effect of terrestrial and marine humics on copper speciation in an estuary in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 39:19–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, T. E., D. L. Correll, J. Miklas, andD. E. Weller. 1991. Long-term trends in estuarine nutrients and chlorophyll, and short-term effect of variation in watershed discharge.Marine Ecology Progress Series 75:121–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, W. M., E. M. Smith, M. Marvin-DiPasquale, andW. R. Boynton. 1997. Organic carbon balance and net ecosystem metabolism in Chesapeake Bay.Marine Ecology Progress Series 150:229–248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kingsford, M. J. andI. M. Suthers. 1994. Dynamic estuarine plumes and fronts: Importance to small fish and plankton in coastal waters of NSW, Australia.Continential Shelf Research 14: 655–672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhnel, I., T. A. McMahon, B. L. Finlayson, A. Haines, P. H. Whetton, andT. T. Gibson. 1990. Climatic influences on streamflow variability: A comparison between southeastern Australia and Southeastern United States of America.Water Resources Research 26:2483–2496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lukatelich, R. J., andA. J. McComb. 1986. Nutrient levels and the development of diatom and blue-green algal blooms in a shallow Australian estuary.Journal of Plankton Research 8:597–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lukatelich, R. J., N. J. Schofield, andA. J. McComb. 1987. Nutrient loading and macrophyte growth in Wilson Inlet, a bar-built southwestern Australian Estuary.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 24:141–165.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lutgens, F. K., andE. J. Tarbuck. 1995. The atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology. 6th edition. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jeresey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mallin, M. A., H. W. Paerl, J. Rudek, andP. W. Bates. 1993. Regulation of estuarine primary production by watershed rainfall and river flow.Marine Ecology Progress Series 93:199–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malone, T. C. andD. J. Conley. 1996. Trends in nutrient loading and eutrophication: A comparison of Chesapeake Bay and the Hudson River estuarine system. p. 327–349.In K. Sherman, N. A. Jaworski, and T. J. Smayda (eds.), The Northeast Shelf Ecosystem: Assessment, Sustainability and Management. Blackwell Science, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, T. J., D. P. Cyrus, andA. T. Forbes. 1992. Episodic events: The effects of cyclonic flushing on the ichthyoplankton of St. Lucia Estuary on the southeast coast of Africa.Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 30:273–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McComb, A. J., andR. J. Lukatelich. 1986. Nutrients and plant biomass in Australian estuaries, with particular reference to south-western Australia, p. 433–455.In P. De Decker and W. D. Williams (eds.), Limnology in Australia. Junk Publishers, Melbourne, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • McComb, A. J., andR. Humphries. 1992. Loss of nutrients from catchments and their ecological impacts in the Peel-Harvey estuarine system, Western Australia.Estuaries 15:529–537.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McComb, A. J., andR. J. Lukatelich. 1990. Inter-relations between biological and physicochemical factors in a database for a shallow estuarine system.Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 14:223–238.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McKee, L., andB. D. Eyre. 1996. Nutrient export in a large rurally diverse northern NSW coastal catchment: A preliminary assessment, p. 65–72.In H. M. Hunter, A. G. Eyles, and G. E. Rayment (eds.), Downstream Effects of Land Use. Department of Natural Resources, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • McMahon, T. A. 1982. World hydrology: Does Australia fit, p. 1–7.In Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, 1982. Institute of Engineers, Melbourne, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messel, T. A., G. C. Vorlicek, A. G. Wells, andW. I. Green. 1981. Surveys of tidal river systems in the Northern Territory of Australia and their crocodile populations. Monograph 1. Pergamon Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moverly, J. H., P. Saenger, andM. A. Curtis. 1986. Patterns of polychaete recolonization in Queensland subtropical estuaries following severe flooding.Hydrobiologia 134:227–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moss, A. J. 1987. Studies of the trophic status of the Brisbane River estuary.Water 14:11–14.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nichols, M. M. 1977. Response and recovery of an estuary following a river flood.Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 47:1171–1186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nichols, M. M. 1994. Response of estuaries to storms in the Chesapeake Bay region; summary, p. 67–71.In R. Dyer and R. J. Orth (eds.), Changes in Fluxes in Estuaries: Implications From Science to Management. Olsen and Olsen, Fredensborg, Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nielson, K., L. P. Nielson, andP. Rasmussen. 1995. Estuarine nitrogen retention independently estimated by the denitrification rate and mass balance methods: study of Norsmide Fjord, Denmark.Marine Ecology Progress Series 119:275–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, S. W., J. W. Ammerman, L. P. Atkinson, V. M. Berounsky, G. Billen, W. C. Boicourt, W. R. Boynton, T. M. Church, D. M. Ditoro, R. Elmgren, J. H. Garber, A. E. Giblin, R. A. Jahnke, N. J. P. Owens, M. E. Q. Pilson, andS. P. Seitzinger. 1996. The fate of nitrogen and phosphorus at the land-sea margin of the North Atlantic Ocean.Biogeochemistry 35:141–180.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nowicki, B. L., J. R. Kelly, E. Requintina, andD. Van Keuren. 1997. Nitrogen loss through sediment denitrification in Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay.Estuaries 20:626–639.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nunes, R. A., andG. W. Lennon. 1986. Physical property distributions and seasonal trends in Spencer Gulf, South Australia: An inverse estuary.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 37:39–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Donohue, M., andW. Dennison. 1997. Phytoplankton productivity response to nutrient concentrations, light availability, and temperature along an Australian estuarine gradient.Estuaries 20:521–533.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, D. H., R. E. Smith, S. W. Hager, D. D. Harmon, R. E. Herndon, andL. E. Schemel. 1985. Interannual variability in dissolved inorganic nutrients in northern San Francisco Bay estuary.Hydrobiologia 129:37–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reinson, G. E. 1977. Hydrology and sediments of a temperate estuary—Mallacoota Inlet, Victoria. Geology and Geophysics Bulletin 178. Bureau of Mineral Resources, Canberra, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rochford, D. J. 1951. Studies in Australian estuarine hydrology. I. Introductory and comparative features.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 2:1–116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rochford, D. J. 1959. Classification of Australian estuarine systems.Archives of Oceanography and Limnology 11 (suppl): 171–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rochford, D. J., andB. S. Newell. 1974. Measurable changes in water quality attributes of NSW estuaries, p. 76–92.In The Impact of Human Activities on Coastal Zones. Australia Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy, P. S. 1984. New South Wales estuaries: Their origin and evolution, p. 99–120.In B. G. Thom (ed.), Coastal Geomorphology in Australia. Academic Press, Marrickville, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudek, J., H. W. Paerl, M. A. Mallin, andP. W. Bates. 1991. Seasonal and hydrological control of phytoplankton nutrient limitation in the Lower Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina.Marine Ecology Progress Series 75:133–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sankaranarayanan, V. N., P. Udaya Varma, K. K. Balachandran, A. Pylee, andT. Joseph. 1986. estuarine characteristics of the lower reaches of the river Periyar (Cochin Backwater).Indian Journal of Marine Science 15:166–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seanger, P., J. Moverly, andW. Stephenson. 1988. Seasonal and longer term patterns in the macrobenthos versus benthic stability in a subtropical estuary.Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 15:229–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, R., C. Klein, andT. Jickells. 1997. Biogeochemical nutrient cycling in the Upper Great Ouse Estuary, Norfolk, UK.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 44:543–555.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schubel, J. R., H. H. Carter, andW. B. Cronin. 1977. Effects of Agnes on the distribution of salinity along the main axis of the bay and its contiguous shelf waters, p. 33–65.In The Effects of Tropical Storm Agnes on the Chesapeake Bay Estuarine System. The Chesapeake Bay Research Consortium. Washington, D.C., Publication No. 54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schubel, J. R., andD. J. Hirschberg. 1982. The Chang Jiang (Yangtze) estuary: Establishing its place in the community of estuaries, p. 649–654.In V. S. Kennedy (ed.), Estuarine Comparisons. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, J. H., I. A. Cifuentes, R. B. Coffin, J. R. Pennock, andK-C. Wong. 1986. The influence of river variability on the circulation, chemistry, and microbiology of the Delaware estuary.Estuaries 9:261–269.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Skreslet, S. 1986. The Role of Freshwater Outflow in Coastal Marine Ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. V., andM. J. Atkinson. 1983. Mass balance of carbon and phosphorus in Shark Bay, Western Australia.Limnology and Oceanography 28:625–639.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. V., andJ. T. Hollibaugh. 1993. Coastal metabolism and the oceanic organic carbon balance.Review of Geophysics 31:75–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. V., J. T. Hollibaugh, S. J. Dollar, andS. Vink. 1991. Tomales Bay metabolism: C-N-P stoichiometry and ecosystem heterotrophy at the land-sea interface.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 33:223–257.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. V., S. Ibarra-Obando, P. R. Boudreau, and V. F. Camacho-Ibar. 1997. Comparisons of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes in Mexican coastal lagoons, LOICZ Reports and Studies No. 10. Texel, The Netherlands.

  • Smith, S. V., andH. H. Veeh. 1989. Mass balance of biogeochemically active materials (C, N, P) in a hypersaline gulf.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 29:195–215.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, R. S. 1956. Studies in Australian estuarine hydrology. II. The Swan River.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 7:193–253.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Staples, D. J. 1980 Ecology of juvenile and adolescent banana prawns,Penaeus merguiensis, in a mangrove estuary and adjacent off-shore area of the Gulf of Capentaria. J. Immigration and settlement of postlarve.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 31:635–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staples, D. J., andD. J. Vance. 1987. Comparative recruitment of the banana prawn,Penaeus merguensis, in five estuaries of the southeastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 38:29–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephens, R., andJ. Imberger. 1996. Dynamics of the Swan River estuary: The seasonal variability.Marine and Freshwater Research 47:517–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, J. D., andJ. S. Godfrey. 1985. Circulation dynamics in the Derwent Estuary.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 36:765–772.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, P., J. Adeney, andR. Gerritse. 1997. Phytoplankton in the Swan River: Research results 1993 to 1996 and management implication, p. 1–14,In J. R. Davis (ed.), Managing Algal Blooms. CSIRO, Canberra, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tooth, S., andG. C. Nanson. 1993. The geomorphology of Australia’s fluvial systems: Retrospect, perspect and prospect, p. 49–73In B. Yu and C. R. Fielding (eds.), 5th International Conference on Fluvial Sedimentology—Modern and Ancient Rivers, Their Influence to Mankind. Keynote Addresses and Abstracts. University of Queensland. Brisbane, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Treguer, P., andB. Queguiner. 1989. Seasonal variations in conservative and nonconservative mixing of nitrogen compounds in a West European macrotidal estuary.Oceanologica Acta 12: 371–380.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valela, I. 1992. Coupling of watersheds and coastal waters: An introduction to the dedicated issue.Estuaries 15:429–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., andL. E. Costa. 1988. Eutrophication of Buttermilk Bay, a Cape Cod coastal embayment: Concentrations of nutrients and watershed nutrient budgets.Environmental Management 12:539–553.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., K. Foreman, M. LaMomtagne, J. Costa, P. Peckol, B. DeMeo-Anderson, C. D’Avanzo, M. Babione, C. Sham, J. Brawley, andK. Lajtha. 1992. Couplings of watershed and coastal waters: Sources and consequences of nutrient enrichment in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts.Estuaries 15:443–457.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Warner, R. F. 1986. Hydrology, p. 49–79.In D. N. Jean (ed.), Australia—A Geography. Volume One: The Natural Environment. Sydney University Press, Sydney, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski, E. J., andP. Collis. 1976. Aspects of aquatic ecology of the Hawkesbury River. I. Hydrodynamic processes.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 27:565–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski, E. 1977. The fate of storm water and stormwater pollution in the Parramatta Estuary, Sydney.Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 28:67–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski, E. 1986. An evaporation-driven salinity maximum zone in Australian Tropical estuaries.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 22:415–424.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wolanski, E. 1992. Hydrodynamics of mangrove swamps and their coastal waters.Hydrobiologia 247:141–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yellowlees, D. 1990. Landuse patterns and nutrient loading of the Great Barrier Reef Region. James Cook University, Townsville, North Queensland, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zann, L. P. 1995. Our sea, our future. Major findings of the State of the Marine Environment Report for Australia. Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zwolsman, J. J. G. 1994. Seasonal variability and biogeochemistry of phosphorus in the Scheldt Estuary, South-west Netherlands.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 39:227–248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre For coastal Management, Southern Cross University, P. O. Box 5125, 2480, East Lismore, New South Wales, Australia

    Bradley Eyre

Authors
  1. Bradley Eyre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bradley Eyre.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Eyre, B. Transport, retention and transformation of material in Australian estuaries. Estuaries 21, 540–551 (1998). https://doi.org/10.2307/1353293

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1353293

Keywords

Search

Navigation