Extent and composition of the samphire marshes of the Peel-Harvey system. In: McComb, A.J., Kobryn, H.T. and Latchford, J.A. (eds) Samphire marshes of the Peel-Harvey estuarine system Western Australia.
Murray, R., Kobryn, H.T., Latchford, J.A. and McComb, A.J. (1995) Extent and composition of the samphire marshes of the Peel-Harvey system. In: McComb, A.J., Kobryn, H.T. and Latchford, J.A. (eds) Samphire marshes of the Peel-Harvey estuarine system Western Australia. Peel Preservation Group and Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia.
In a report published in 1985, Hodgkin et al. pointed out that the saltmarsh vegetation of the Peel Harvey estuary constitute an important component of the fringing vegetation. They estimated the total area of marsh to be about 13 km2. This estimate incorporated some open water as well as Sarcocornia spp and Juncus kraussii communities. Hodgkin et al. (1985) highlighted the importance of saltmarshes in stabilising the shoreline, and called for further studies to:
"obtain a better understanding of the significance of the marshes to the general ecology of the area, including their role in shoreline stabilisation, nutrient dynamics, and bird life. " Hodgkin et al. (1985), p35
The present work addresses some of these deficiencies in our knowledge.
It was clear that much of the study would of necessity have to rest on a firm understanding of the extent and composition of the marsh, and the required mapping of the marsh was accomplished by interpretation of aerial photographs combined with field visits. The photointerpretation approach used was described in Chapter 2. That chapter described the distribution of samphire flats in the study area using April 1994 colour aerial photography, which was flown at low tide three days before the opening of Dawesville Channel.
In this study both the historic and current distributions of saltmarsh were mapped. A common approach was followed in interpreting all available aerial photographs, which included black and white, normal colour and false colour infrared photography.
|Murdoch Affiliation:||School of Environmental Science|
|Publisher:||Peel Preservation Group and Murdoch University|
|Item Control Page|
Downloads per month over past year