Sand dunes in the Coorong, South Australia, provide habitat for many key species.

Dynamic habitat of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLAMM)

One of four projects in the CLLAMMecology research cluster, Dynamic Habitat illustrated habitat changes under different water management scenarios.

• 30 July 2009 | Updated 29 May 2013

• Introducing the project
• The approach
• Deliverables

Introducing the project

The Coorong region's environment is very dynamic with significant variability in key ecological drivers (water level and salinity, among others) across the region and over time.

This project uses information gathered elsewhere in CLLAMMecology to produce dynamic maps that show how habitats change with changes in water level, salinity, turbidity and other variables.

This allows the extent and quality of key habitats, such as the mudflats used by waders, to be predicted over time and under any flow scenario, enabling researchers and water managers to predict the impact of changes in management practices.

Information about ecological responses for key species will even allow us to predict the potential distribution of these species under different management scenarios.

The project is led by Dr Jason E Tanner at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) - Aquatic Sciences.

The approach

The Dynamic Habitat project took the following approach:

• sampling was conducted in both summer and winter, to detect any seasonal variation
• sediments were characterised by grain size, carbon, nitrogen, silicon, phosphorus content and pore-water nutrient content
• light data-loggers were placed at several of the primary study sites along the Coorong to collect light at various depths - information from these data loggers will be used used to parameterise a light model previously developed for the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study by SARDI.

To detail habitat composition, remote video and snorkellers conducted cross-system transects at each location.

Existing data was being collated and a preliminary Digital Elevation Model developed and analysed for gaps.

A recording sounder attached to a boat collects bathymetric (water depth) data was added to existing data sets.

All data was collated in a Geographic Information System (GIS), to produce habitat maps and models that show habitat dynamics under different management scenarios.

Deliverables

This project delivered:

• a map of current sub tidal habitats
• a map of current habitat surrounding the Coorong
• a digital elevation model of the Coorong, Murray Mouth, and surrounding wetlands (collated from existing data)
• a light model that predicts light availability at a given depth for a given time of year for the Coorong and Murray Mouth area
• a GIS habitat model linked to an existing water balance model that predicts physical habitat distribution as a function of water management regime
• a dynamic GIS-based model to predict habitat availability for key species, and system-wide productivity, under defined flow-scenarios
• communication and stakeholder engagement during the course of the project.

Find out how this work relates to The future of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLAMM).