Herbicides: a new threat to the Great Barrier Reef

The runoff of pesticides (insecticides, herbicides and fungicides) from agricultural lands is a key concern for the health of the iconic Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Relatively low levels of herbicide residues can reduce the productivity of marine plants and corals. However, the risk of these residues to Great Barrier Reef ecosystems has been poorly quantified due to a lack of large-scale datasets. Here we present results of a study tracing pesticide residues from rivers and creeks in three catchment regions to the adjacent marine environment. Several pesticides (mainly herbicides) were detected in both freshwater and coastal marine waters and were attributed to specific land uses in the catchment. Elevated herbicide concentrations were particularly associated with sugar cane cultivation in the adjacent catchment. We demonstrate that herbicides reach the Great Barrier Reef lagoon and may disturb sensitive marine ecosystems already affected by other pressures such as climate change.

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    Data record related to this publication Herbicides: a new threat to the Great Barrier Reef
    Data Publication title Herbicides: a new threat to the Great Barrier Reef
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    The runoff of pesticides (insecticides, herbicides and fungicides) from agricultural lands is a key concern for the health of the iconic Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Relatively low levels of herbicide residues can reduce the productivity of marine plants and corals. However, the risk of these residues to Great Barrier Reef ecosystems has been poorly quantified due to a lack of large-scale datasets. Here we present results of a study tracing pesticide residues from rivers and creeks in three catchment regions to the adjacent marine environment. Several pesticides (mainly herbicides) were detected in both freshwater and coastal marine waters and were attributed to specific land uses in the catchment. Elevated herbicide concentrations were particularly associated with sugar cane cultivation in the adjacent catchment. We demonstrate that herbicides reach the Great Barrier Reef lagoon and may disturb sensitive marine ecosystems already affected by other pressures such as climate change.

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  • Keywords
    • diuron
    • atrazine
    • pesticides
    • great barrier reef
    • herbicides
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    Tropical Ecosystems, Conservation and Climate Change
    Industries and Economies in the Tropics
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  • Start Date 2008/01/01
  • End Date 2009/01/01
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      Name Lewis, Stephen E., Brodie, Jon E., Bainbridge, Zoe T., Rohde, Ken W., Davis, Aaron M., Masters, Bronwyn L., Maughan, Mirjam, Devlin, Michelle J., Mueller, Jochen F., and Schaffelke, Britta (2009) Herbicides: a new threat to the Great Barrier Reef. Environmental Pollution, 157 (8-9). pp. 2470-2484.
    • URL http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/5106/
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    Citation Lewis, Stephen; Brodie, Jon; Bainbridge, Zoe; Davis, Aaron; Maughan, Mirjam; Devlin, Michelle (2011): Herbicides: a new threat to the Great Barrier Reef. James Cook Univeristy. https://research.jcu.edu.au/data/published/6a9e901bfd4a43308cd5383d2e7c1601