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Pressure-response relationships of key invertebrates to total suspended solid concentrations and sedimentation
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Pressure-response relationships of key invertebrates to total suspended solid concentrations and sedimentation

Sorcha Cronin-O'Reilly, James Tweedley, Brayden Cockerell and Glenn Hyndes
Benthic Habitats and Communities WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program
Western Australian Marine Science Institution
2025
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Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Westport development requires data to predict the magnitude of the direct and cumulative impacts of activities associated with the construction and ongoing operation of the port, including initial dredging of the port area and channels, ongoing maintenance dredging and vessel operations. Dredging activities will temporarily increase the amount of suspended solids in the water column, particularly in the immediate vicinity of port and channel construction. This component is part of the broader WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program (WWMSP) project Benthic communities in soft-sediment and on hard substrates: baseline data, pressure-response relationships of key biota for EIA, and mitigation strategies for artificial reefs, which aims to provide critical data on benthic fauna of Cockburn Sound and Owen Anchorage for the EIA of Westport and underpin future mitigation plans for large-scale artificial reef projects. The specific aim of this component was to determine the pressure-response relationships of key benthic suspension feeding invertebrate species to increasing total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations and sedimentation rates. The study focused on the solitary ascidian Herdmania sp., which is common on rocks in soft sediments and limestone reefs, and the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, which is common on vertical hard structures, e.g. jetty pylons, in Cockburn Sound.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#14 Life Below Water

Source: SDGs in the Output

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