Table 2 Ecological components modified from Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (2008) Component Examples Measured Physical form Area of the wetlands and creeks Yes Remote sensing – Wetland form (e.g. depth, shape and Yes? HGCP will know bathymetry [the study of underwater depth]) Landform topography Yes Landform modelling – Soils and sediments Site and soil/sediment profile Not sure what this means? characterisation (e.g. using the Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook McDonald et al. 1990). Probably (HGCP) not sure? Soil profile classification (e.g. using Isbell 2002) most profiles should fall into the – Hydrosol Soil Order and classification to the Sub-Order or Great Group level will be sufficient in most cases. Probably (HGCP) Soil physical properties (e.g. structure, texture, consistency and profile) Soil chemical properties (e.g. organic Yes to some extent but focusing – content, nutrients, sulfides, acid neutralising mostly on metals capacity, salts and pH) Some information generated from Soil biological properties (e.g. soil organisms the sed U tox project. CDU have done such as bacteria and fungi, invertebrates – some LAA bacterial work shellfish, mites and worms) Physicochemical water Nutrients (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus) Yes possibly limited sampling? – Without much spatial or temporal solution. Electrical conductivity Yes Cations and anions Yes Turbidity Yes especially in Magela and – Gulungal Temperature Yes Dissolved oxygen Yes not sure how extensive – pH Yes Nutrient cycling Not sure Light attenuation Limited but can be inferred from turbidity Biota Wetland plants Remote sensing. Ecological surveys Yes fish channel billabongs and – Vertebrate fauna (e.g. fish, amphibians, shallow lowland billabongs reptiles, waterbirds, mammals) Much historical (1978-81) data. . More limited recently, GTB study and some Phytoplankton, including diatoms during recessional flow sampling Aquatic macroinvertebrates Yes year recessional flow sampling – in creeks. Intermittent billabong sampling
Table 2 Ecological components modified from Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (2008) Component Examples Measured Physical form Area of the wetlands and creeks Wetland form (e.g. depth, shape and bathymetry [the study of underwater depth]) Landform topography Yes – Remote sensing Yes? HGCP will know Yes – Landform modelling Soils and sediments Site and soil/sediment profile characterisation (e.g. using the Australian Soil and Land Survey Field Handbook McDonald et al. 1990). Soil profile classification (e.g. using Isbell 2002) – most profiles should fall into the Hydrosol Soil Order and classification to the Sub-Order or Great Group level will be sufficient in most cases. Soil physical properties (e.g. structure, texture, consistency and profile) Soil chemical properties (e.g. organic content, nutrients, sulfides, acid neutralising capacity, salts and pH) Soil biological properties (e.g. soil organisms such as bacteria and fungi, invertebrates – shellfish, mites and worms) Not sure what this means? Probably (HGCP) not sure? Probably (HGCP) Yes – to some extent but focusing mostly on metals Some information generated from the sed U tox project. CDU have done some LAA bacterial work Physicochemical water Nutrients (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus) Electrical conductivity Cations and anions Turbidity Temperature Dissolved oxygen pH Nutrient cycling Light attenuation Yes – possibly limited sampling? Without much spatial or temporal solution. Yes Yes Yes – especially in Magela and Gulungal Yes Yes – not sure how extensive Yes Not sure Limited but can be inferred from turbidity Biota Wetland plants Vertebrate fauna (e.g. fish, amphibians, reptiles, waterbirds, mammals) Phytoplankton, including diatoms Aquatic macroinvertebrates Remote sensing. Ecological surveys Yes – fish channel billabongs and shallow lowland billabongs Much historical (1978-81) data. . More limited recently, GTB study and some during recessional flow sampling Yes – year recessional flow sampling in creeks. Intermittent billabong sampling