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South Australia’s Large Inverse Estuaries: On the Road to Ruin

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Estuaries of Australia in 2050 and beyond

Part of the book series: Estuaries of the World ((EOTW))

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the past, present and likely future of South Australian gulfs – Spencer Gulf and Gulf St. Vincent. It describes the distinct physical factors shaping these inverse estuaries, their unique ecology, past environmental degradation and future threats. Rather than direct climate-change impacts, the reader will learn that traditional industrialization poses the biggest threat to the gulfs’ ecosystem health, despite recent enhanced efforts of protection and conservation of natural habitat.

Once there was a low-lying, swampy country covered with numerous lagoons

Disagreements amongst Ancestral Beings belonging to the bird, animal and reptile families caused great concern of the willy-wigtail, emu and kangaroo families.

After a night of prophetic dreams, a giant kangaroo bone was found which proved to be magic.

When the wise and respected kangaroo pointed the bone at the swampy land, the earth opened up and the sea gradually flooded the low land.

This is how the two Peninsulas (i.e. Yorke and Eyre) and (what we now call) Spencer Gulf were formed.

Narrunga Creation Story (Smith (1930))

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See http://www.birdlife.org/

  2. 2.

    See http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/

  3. 3.

    See http://www.amsa.gov.au/marine_environment_protection/major_oil_spills_in_australia/

  4. 4.

    See http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/regions/initiatives/usg_heavy_industry_hub

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Acknowledgements

This work has not received financial support. The author thanks Dan Monceaux and Emma Sterling for the provision of background information.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of the Environment, Flinders University, 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia

    Jochen Kämpf

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  1. Jochen Kämpf
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Correspondence to Jochen Kämpf .

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  1. TropWATER and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

    Eric Wolanski

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Kämpf, J. (2014). South Australia’s Large Inverse Estuaries: On the Road to Ruin. In: Wolanski, E. (eds) Estuaries of Australia in 2050 and beyond. Estuaries of the World. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7019-5_9

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