The Impact of Climate Change on the Port River Estuary

Environment   Oct 21, 2015 by wilderness-cmarks

Yesterday we visited the Port River Estuary; the largest estuary on the east side of Gulf St. Vincent in South Australia. An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body, that freely opens to connect with the ocean. Estuaries consist of brackish water, which is water with a higher salinity level than fresh water, yet less than ocean water. A tree species known as mangroves grow indigenously within this area, and are vital for sustaining the correct level of salt in the water. The area surrounding the Port River Estuary was once flowing with mangroves, creating a beautiful sanctuary for a large variety of both fish and birds; however due to urban sprawl, and the industrial benefits of being situated on the port, majority of these mangroves are gone and have been replaced with carbon dioxide producing factories. 

The Port River Estuary is an extremely important part of our environment, and allows us to understand the impact of climate change on a local level. Dolphins freely swim up and down the estuary, and are the key biological indicator. Their population is declining due to viruses from the unnaturally high temperature levels in the waters. This temperature increase is not only due to the waste expelled from the surrounding factories, but also the devastating result of climate change. The temperature of the water is naturally meant to be 17°C, which is the temperature in which the ecosystem can properly function; however some parts of the water are 43°C, which is very dangerous for the species that live in the area. Nearing part of the Port River is Adelaide's active landfill site. This results in toxins being blown from this deposit site, into the river and ultimately infecting the wildlife that inhibits the river and its region. Alas, the toxins washed down our drains reach their final destination of the Port River, before being drifted out to sea.

Back to mangroves - as mangroves control the salinity level in the water, a large loss like that which has happened results in an increasing level of water's salinity. If the water's salinity level is too high, then the ecosystem cannot function correctly and species will rapidly decline. Not only this, but there is a vast number of species that heavily rely on the mangroves to provide safe breeding grounds, and a safe shelter. It's amazing to have such a diverse ecosystem in such close proximity to a city with a population of 1.25 million people, and to be able to see the devastating impacts of climate change within our local region.

This photo below shows the close proximity between Adelaide city (1.25 million people) and the Port River Estuary.

(Wikipedia, (2015). Port River. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_River [Accessed 21 Oct. 2015].)

If you zoom up closer, you can see the remaining mangrove plants, and the large wilderness to the right of the river. This land was originally unprotected, but activists and scientists were able to fight for the rights of the land to be protected. The darker parts of the edges of the river are the mangroves (particularly on the right hand bend), which once grew wildly before the industries grew to the left of the river.

(Epa.sa.gov.au, (2015). EPA. [online] Available at: http://epa.sa.gov.au/ [Accessed 21 Oct. 2015].)

Action has already taken place in order to preserve the natural and striving ecosystem within this estuary. For starters, a large wilderness is protected from destruction for urban sprawl and industrial work. SA Water also diverted the sewerage away and changed the deposit location, which resulted in a 30% decline for human waste being deposited into the Port River (Government of South Australia, 2003). I believe that the industrial plants need to relocate further away from the estuary instead of directly next to it, to allow less pollution from these productions. The closure of these industrial buildings will allow more space for the restoration of mangroves, to assist in regaining a healthier ecosystem. The landfill situation is extensive, but it would be very useful if this area was moved further away from the estuary, to minimise the amount of rubbish and toxins blown into the river and eventually the ocean.

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