Information
Land-use effects on water quality in an intensively managed catchment in the Australian humid tropics
Level 1 General description
Purpose:
To analyse the impact of land use on concentrations and partitioning of nitrogen, phosphorus and total suspended solids in tributaries of the lower Herbert River.
Methods (brief)
Surface grab samples of river water were taken across 37 sites within the Herbert River. Levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and total suspended solids were measured.
Key findings (brief)
- Compared with grazing and forestry, sugarcane production was found to have a significant impact on riverine water quality. Sugarcane lands recorded higher concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and total suspended solids in stream-waters.
- Regardless of land use, concentrations of total N and P were dominated by soluble fractions, particularly in organic combination.
- Median values of TSS for each site were positively correlated (P < 0.001) with the proportion of upstream land under sugarcane and negatively correlated with the proportion of upstream land under grazing.
Location
37 sites were located along the Herbert River floodplain in north Queensland.
Related studies
N/A