Baseline benthic fluxes - supporting sediment quality monitoring of Darwin Harbour 2024
Details:
Title
Baseline benthic fluxes - supporting sediment quality monitoring of Darwin Harbour 2024,
Creator
Fortune, J,
Majid, M,
Issued by
Northern Territory. Department of Lands, Planning and Environment. Aquatic Group. Flora and Fauna Division,
Sponsored by
INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project.,
Collection
E-Publications,
PublicationNT,
E-Books,
Report No. 21/2025,
Department of Lands, Planning and Environment Technical Report No. 21/2025,
Date
2025,
Location
Darwin Harbour,
Abstract
Darwin Harbour is a tropical macrotidal estuary in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Harbour is flanked by a mix of urban estate, commercial marine and onshore gas processing and dispersed with tracts of intact mangrove forest. Notwithstanding growing development pressures in Darwin Harbour, water and sediment quality remain largely in good condition. However, the influence of localised impacts on intertidal sediments and their function have recently been emphasised (Fortune et al. 2022; Fortune et al. 2024). The course of future development around the harbour warrants the collection of baseline sediment quality data to support the direction of sustainable management and underpin future monitoring and management measures. Conventional sediment indicators such as metals/metalloids, hydrocarbons and other contaminants of concern have long held place in routine monitoring programs. This small study in 2024 repeats baseline benthic flux measures across intertidal sediments of Darwin Harbour to acquire a first order evaluation of typical late dry season nutrient and metabolic fluxes as a potential measure of sediment function.,
Notes
Made available by via Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT),
Acknowledgement: This report was funded by the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project. We are grateful to the reviewers Lynda Radke and Alex Kutt. We thank the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) Townsville and Environmental Analysis Laboratory (EAL) Southern Cross University, NSW for their support with analysis. Thanks to Matthew Majid, Aquatic Group Flora, Fauna Division for field and lab support. We are grateful to Dr Peter Scanes for his review and valued feedback.,