Declines of seagrasses in a tropical harbour, North Queensland, Australia, are not the result of a single event

A recent paper inferred that all seagrass in Cairns Harbour, tropical north-eastern Australia, had undergone ‘complete and catastrophic loss’ as a result of tropical cyclone Yasi in 2011. While we agree with the concern expressed, we would like to correct the suggestion that the declines were the re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of biosciences 2015-06, Vol.40 (2), p.389-398
Main Authors: McKenna, Skye, Jarvis, Jessie, Sankey, Tonia, Reason, Carissa, Coles, Robert, Rasheed, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algae
Aquatic ecology
Australia
Biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cell Biology
Coasts
Cyclones
Ecosystem
Environmental impact
Environmental Monitoring - statistics & numerical data
Harbors
Life Sciences
Marine
Marine Biology - trends
Microbiology
Plant Sciences
Poaceae - growth & development
Queensland
Rain
Tropical cyclones
Zoology
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Summary:A recent paper inferred that all seagrass in Cairns Harbour, tropical north-eastern Australia, had undergone ‘complete and catastrophic loss’ as a result of tropical cyclone Yasi in 2011. While we agree with the concern expressed, we would like to correct the suggestion that the declines were the result of a single climatic event and that all seagrass in Cairns Harbour were lost. Recent survey data and trend analysis from an on-ground monitoring program show that seagrasses in Cairns Harbour do remain, albeit at low levels, and the decline in seagrasses occurred over several years with cyclone Yasi having little additional impact. We have conducted annual on-ground surveys of seagrass distribution and the above-ground meadow biomass in Cairns Harbour and Trinity Inlet since 2001. This has shown a declining trend in biomass since a peak in 2004 and in area since it peaked in 2007. In 2012, seagrass area and above-ground biomass were significantly below the long-term (12 year) average but seagrass was still present. Declines were associated with regional impacts on coastal seagrasses from multiple years of above-average rainfall and severe storm and cyclone activity, similar to other nearby seagrass areas, and not as a result of a single event.
ISSN:0250-5991
0973-7138
DOI:10.1007/s12038-015-9516-6