Coorong wetlands and the impact of environmental change on seagrasses

Project description

The Coorong is a long, shallow saline lagoon that stretches more than 100 km and that is separated from the Southern Ocean by a narrow sand dune peninsula. The Coorong wetland is one of Australia's most important wetland areas, covering ~140,500 ha in South Australia, and classified as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The lack of water flow into the Coorong from the River Murray. Since 2006, flows down the Murray River into the Coorong have been significantly reduced, causing water levels to fall to unprecedented levels, increasing salinity levels to record high and exposing potential acid sulfate soils. Recently, a major flooding event impacted the water levels of the Coorong and allowed for freshwater to make its way to the lagoons of the wetlands. We have several years of monitoring of microalgae in the Coorong, including during the drought and during the flood period that can be used to identify the impact of environmental changes on the primary producers in this iconic wetland. We also have sequenced the biofilms present at the surface of segrasses in the lagoons of the Coorong. This research project builds on previous research from our team: Leterme et al. 2015; Hemraj et al. 2017; Jamieson et al. 2022

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