Wilson Inlet 2
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Results from Monitoring: physical
Results from Monitoring: nutrients
What happens to the nutrients?
Summary of the Estuarine Monitoring Programme Conducted in Wilson Inlet 1995 to 1998
Glossary & Reading
Glossary
For the definition of other water related words please refer to Water words, Water and Rivers Commission, Water facts No. 1, February 1998.
| Algae | A diverse group of aquatic plants containing chlorophyll and other photosynthetic pigments. Microscopic algae are referred to as phytoplankton, whilst algae visible to the unaided human eye are referred to as macroalgae. |
| Absence of oxygen in the water. | |
| Brackish | Saline water not as salty as the ocean. Denitrification - The transformation of nitrate to nitrogen gas, which is carried out by bacteria under suitable low oxygen conditions. |
| Diatoms | Single celled algae, characterised by two overlapping silica cases surrounding each cell, Diatoms are often the most abundant type of phytoplankton found in Wilson Inlet. |
| Dinoflagellates | Single celled algae characterised by two flagella. Dinoflagellates are found in Wilson Inlet. |
| Epiphytes | Small animals and plants, usually algae that grow on the leaves of seagrasses and macroalgae. |
| Macroalgae | Algae visible to the unaided human eye. Includes large green, red and browns algaes often referred to as seaweeds or kelp. |
| Nitrification | The transformation of ammonia to nitrate, which is carried out by bacteria under oxygen rich conditions. |
| Nutrients | Minerals dissolved in the water, particularly compounds of nitrogen (ammonia and nitrate), phosphorus (phosphate) and silicon (silica) which are essential for plant growth. |
| Phytoplankton | Small algae (often single celled), identifiable under a microscope, e.g. diatoms and dinoflagellates. |
| Seagrasses | Marine flowering plants (angiosperms) found in coastal rivers, estuaries, protected coastal embayments and nearshore coastal areas. They are ecologically important as they provide habitat and food for many organisms, and stability for the seabed. E.g. Ruppia species |
| Stratification | Formation of layers in a body of water (generally due to water of different salinity or temperature). |
Further Reading on Wilson Inlet
Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (1992). Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Waters. National Water Quality Management Strategy. Canberra.Boughton, N. (1997). Wilson Inlet Inflow/Outflow Simulation. Report to the Water and Rivers Commission, Western Australia.
Carruthers, T., Wilshaw, J. and Walker, D. (1997). Ecology of Ruppia megacarpa Mason and its epiphytes in Wilson Inlet - the influence of physical factors. Report to the Water and Rivers Commission, Western Australia.
Donohue, R.B., Jakowyna, B.N. and Nelson, S. (1999). Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Tributary Inflows to the Wilson Inlet. Water and Rivers Commission, Perth, Western Australia.
Hodgkin, E.P., and Clark, R. (1988). Wilson Inlet, Irwin Inlet and Parry Inlet. Estuaries of the Denmark Shire. Estuarine Studies Series Number 3. Environment,-tl Protection Authority, Perth, Western Australia.
Kalnejais, L. and Robb, M. (1999). Water Quality in Wilson Inlet 1995-1997. Water and Rivers Commission Report Number WRT 14, Perth, Western Australia.
Lukatelich, R.J., Schofield, N.J. and McComb, A.J. (1987). Nutrient loading and macrophyte growth in Wilson Inlet, a bar-built southwestern Australian estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 24 : 141-165.
Marshall, J. (1993). Physical Processes of Wilson Inlet, Coastal and Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory, Centre for Water Research, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia.
Ranasinghe, R. and Pattiaratchi, C. (1998). Flushing Characteristics of a seasonally-opened tidal inlet: a numerical study. Journal of Coastal Research, 14(4), 1405-1421.
Yu, X. (1988). A Preliminary Investigation of Nutrient Loads Discharged from Groundwater into Wilson Inlet, Denmark. Water and Rivers Commission Hydrogeology Report No 102.
