Port of Weipa long-term seagrass monitoring: September 2013

Key Findings:\ud \ud Seagrasses have been monitored annually in the Port of Weipa since 2000. Each year seagrasses around the major areas of port activity are mapped and assessed and every 3 years all seagrasses within the greater port limits are examined. Key findings from 2013 were:\ud \ud 1. Annual monitoring results show seagrasses in the Port of Weipa were in a good condition in 2013 with biomass (density), area and species composition of monitoring meadows all close to or above the long term average.\ud \ud 2. The good condition of seagrasses including the large Enhalus acoroides meadow (A2) on the western bank of the Embley River means they should continue to be resilient to planned maintenance dredging activities in 2014 without the requirement for additional mitigation measures.\ud \ud 3. Monitoring of light (Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR)) at key seagrass locations indicates that the light environment remained favourable for seagrass growth during 2013.\ud \ud 4. Tidal exposure and solar radiation explain a significant component of previous declines in some intertidal meadows. Additional more frequent assessments of seagrass change in conjunction with PAR monitoring would enable a better understanding of the actual light requirements for seagrasses in Weipa.\ud \ud 5. The good condition of seagrasses in Weipa was similar to other monitoring locations in northern Cape York and the Gulf of Carpentaria which were largely unaffected by some of the major climate related losses of seagrasses that have occurred on the east coast of Queensland