Blogs
KAYAKING ON THE PORT RIVER
As a year 11 biology class we have participated in two excursions over the past few weeks to the Port River Estuary in Port Adelaide, South Australia. In our first excursion we went on a cruise down the river, which had the primary purpose of allowing us to see first hand the stark contrast between industry and the environment. Port Adelaide is home to several power stations, each responsible to providing power to the state. As we cruised down the river we were able to notice the large differences between either side of the river, with one housing these power plants and many wharves containing cargo and container handling facilities, and the other filled with mangroves and other wildlife. This was quite confronting and alerted us to the idea that having such powerful pollutants so close to a marine environment could cause an array of issues.
Our second excursion further alerted us to this issue, with us kayaking along a portion of the river. As we began we tested the temperature of the water, noticing it was quite cool, as it should be at this time of year. However, as we proceeded down the river towards where the power stations are situated it was noticed that the temperature of the water was significantly warmer. For cooling purposes, the power stations situated in this area draw seawater, and in turn release thermal effluent back into the river. This is considerably increasing the temperature of the water in this area, which is home to several plant and animal species, including dolphins and mangroves. This could have dire consequences to the little wildlife left in this area, particularly the mangroves as many were cleared in order to make room for housing and industry.
This area of South Australia is also home to a large rubbish dump, which along with other rubbish littered along the river, allows harmful chemicals and pollutants to be washed into water when it rains, furthering the damage to this environment. It is essential that this wildlife be preserved, as it is home to many precious species, which could rapidly decline if our detrimental actions continue.
Overall, being able to have these experiences greatly improved our understanding of the importance of preserving this environment and the consequences that are occurring due to the pollution and climate change occurring in this area. While it would be difficult to completely stop industry here, guidelines and restrictions could be put in place to limit the amount of pollution produced, particularly with the thermal effluent from the power stations, as well as using alternate and cleaner methods of producing power to reduce the need for these stations.
