WAMSI 2 - Dredging Node - Project 4.2 - Defining Thresholds and Indicators of Coral Response to Dredging Related Pressures - WATER QUALITY, Western Australia

Data is in the form of a Microsoft Access database, showing the original data together with site information (GPS coordinates), date collected. Data is also in the form of a report, which will be a secured (printable, non-editable), searchable, Portable Document Format (PDF) showing the results of the analysesThe aim of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) DREDGING SCIENCE NODE Project 4.2, was to thoroughly characterise how dredging activities altered reef water quality (i.e. total suspended solids levels (TSS), underwater light levels and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) i.e. (light attenuation) in terms of temporal and spatial characteristics (including spectral analyses of temporal patterns) and how the nature of dredging-related turbidity events differed from natural turbidity events in terms of intensity, duration and frequency. The results are valuable for future experiments and the design of more environmentally realistic laboratory-based, ex situ studies of the effects of turbidity and light reduction on reef biota. Together with analyses of the effects of these dredging projects on the underlying reef communities (Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) DREDGING SCIENCE NODE Project 4.6) the data is important for developing water quality thresholds for dredging projects and to improve the ability to predict and manage the impact of future projects (see Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) DREDGING SCIENCE NODE Project 4.6)Data used to conduct these analyses was from three large captial Dredging projects conducted in the Pilbara region of Western Australia using in situ water quality instrumentation (Federal Ministerial Approval Statements: MS757, MS800, MS840, which searchable on the WA EPA website: http://www.epa.wa.gov.au). These data are available through a data sharing agreement with WAMSI, pending approval of the individual companies.