Transcript Document

Ecosystem Based Modeling for Sustainable Regional Development of the Marine and Estuarine Resources in Coastal NSW Philip Gibbs Karen Astles

The Program & Linkages

DPI/CSIRO 5 year collaboration ‘Umbrella program’

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Comprehensive Coastal Assessment Enhanced decision support tools for NRM action plans (phase 2)

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Northern Rivers CMA (CLAM project) Initial project in Clarence Estuary CSIRO National Research Flagships ‘Wealth from Oceans’ theme

Objectives

Modelling frameworks for a multiple – use management of coastal environments

Develop and apply models of the ecosystem and human activities

Design and evaluate potential ‘monitoring programs’ Broad “Whole of Landscape” Modelling

Management Objectives

Program Outline

Building virtual ecosystem (Operating model) Data Management strategy/ scenarios Atlantis Biogeochemical model Monitoring/ adaptive management Policy formation Management responses Presentation of outputs to decision makers

Ecosystem Modelling & Monitoring

impacts

Human activities Management

Interface Between

Stakeholders Management Science

Climate Change

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National Adaptation Framework Coastal Vulnerability Assessment

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Increasing Temperature Rainfall:- variability, total amount, ENSO Sea level rise Increasing ocean acidity

Likely Impacts

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Ocean current changes Storm surges Freshwater flow to estuaries

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Habitat change Recruitment patterns fish & invertebrates Biodiversity, Threatened species, Marine pests Socio economic effects

Tools

Spatial biogeochemical model with coupled physical transport ‘ATLANTIS’

Physical box model in 3 dimensions

Nutrient flow (nitrogen silica), mass balance of functional groups (physical, O 2 CO 2 , living, detritus)

Trophic dynamics (food web) of primary & secondary producers / consumers (phytoplankton to dolphins)

Growth, mortality, recruitment, migration, consumption, excretion, predation, habitat dependency

Computational limit

“What if” Scenarios

Timeframe 1950 to 2030

Fisheries management – catch, effort, gear, zoning, closures, by-catch

Climate change

Land-use

Increasing population and urbanisation

Socio economic change

The Future

Finer resolution of the shelf model nearshore component

Explicit representation of Marine Parks

Second estuary with a focus on urban rather than agricultural inputs

Coupling of estuary and shelf models

Documentation of the “what if” outputs

Is Ecosystem Modelling Possible?

Plants and Animals

Geophysical environment People (social)

Politics

Economics

Thank You