Twenty-nine sites have been surveyed: 13 in Marmion Marine Park (one near the sewage outfall and the remaining forming transects across a depth gradient with 4 inner, 4 mid and 4 outer), 6 in Cockburn Sound (5 forming a transect along an anthropogenic stress gradient at the northern end and 1 at the southern end), 2 localities between these regions at City Beach and Hall Bank, 1 within the Swan River and 7 at Jurien Bay to the north. At each site, physical factors of bottom water temperature, depth, water column light attenuation and the structure of sediment such as presence of ripples, depth of anaerobic sand and compactness were recorded. In addition, a water column integrated sample was collected and chlorophyll a quantified. Five transects of 5x1m were established at each site, ten 30mm diameter cores to 50mm depth and three 150mm diameter cores to 100mm depth were randomly collected within the transect, and all macrofauna collected using a small rake to search the sediment. Macrofauna were identified, counted and weighed. The small cores were sectioned into 0-2cm and 2-5cm depths and the size fractions from all 10 relating to 1 transect pooled and subsampled: one was analysed for organic carbon and nitrogen and a second for benthic microalgae biomass as chlorophyll a. One of the large cores was dry sieved through a set of 15 sieves from 0.063 to 8.0 mm pore size to determine proportions of grain size. One of the remaining cores was washed through 9 sieves from 8.0 to 0.5mm and biomass of infauna of each size class determined and daily secondary production calculated.

Benthic water quality measurements were obtained from nine sites across and outside Marmion Lagoon at varying depths (3m, 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 25m, 30m, 35m and 40m). Data was collected on Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Particulate Organic Matter (POM), Particulate Inorganic Matter(PIM), Chlorophyll-a, Phaeopigments, HPLC, Fatty acids, Nutrient Concentrations and Isotopes over December 2008 to March 2009.

Process Study 2 was undertaken between 20-22 September 2005 in the Huon Estuary offshore from Hideaway Bay. During this Process Study, two sediment traps were deployed at each of two sites (near sites P3 and P4 from the spatial survey) on the bottom for 24 hours.Prior to the deployment of the traps surface sediment samples were collected with a benthic grab from each site. Each sediment trap consisted of three collection tubes, material from each tube was filtered on 47 mm GFF filters, with several filters required to filter all of the particualte matter from each tube. Combined filters from each of two tubes labeled A and B (typically 3 filters for each tube) were extracted for lipid analysis. Tube C was used either for isotopes or Fauna indent.

Process Study 3 was undertaken between 03-05 October 2006 in North West Bay. Sediment traps were deployed and sediment samples taken at five sites in NWB. The primary aim was to investigate the composition of material being deposited to the sediments from the water column at these times and to compare this organic matter with that found in the sediments at the same sites. Additionally, we wished to see whether any organic matter of obvious fish farm origin could be detected. One sediment trap was deployed at each North West Bay (NWB) site in water varying in depth from 10 m (site 9) to 20 m (site 2). The trap sites were numbered 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9. Traps were deployed at their respective sites and left for at least one hour before the caps were removed in order to eliminate sediment re-suspended during deployment from entering the traps. The traps were left in place for 48 hours and then retrieved, capped and returned to Hobart for recovery of the samples. Each trap had 3 tubes, each of these tubes was split into three. One litre was taken and filtered for lipids using pre-weighed 47 mm GFF filters, one litre for pigments and the rest was split in two and stored in 500ml bottles, one for zooplankton analysis and the other for microalgal samples. Several filters were required to filter the lipid sample depending on the amount of particles in the tube. Selected filters were then analysed for lipid biomarkers. Organic matter from selected filters was also analysed for stable isotope 13C and 15 N values and carbon content. The contents of one tube from each trap was inspected for identification of zooplankton remains and faecal pellets using light microscopy. Sediments were collected at each of the above trap sites using a Wilco box corer.

Process Study 1 was undertaken between 12-14 April 2005 in the Huon Estuary offshore from Hideaway Bay. During this Process Study, two sediment traps were deployed at each of two sites (near sites P3 and P4 from the spatial survey) on the bottom for 24 hours.Prior to the deployment of the traps surface sediment samples were collected with a benthic grab from each site. Each sediment trap consisted of three collection tubes, material from each tube was filtered on 47 mm GFF filters, with several filters required to filter all of the particualte matter from each tube. Combined filters from each of two tubes labeled A and B (typically 3 filters for each tube) were extracted for lipid analysis. Tube C was used either for isotopes or Fauna indent.

Ecosystem process measurements were made on sediment sampled with a box core and water sampled from CTD profiles. For sediments, measurements were of wet/dry weight ratio, total organic carbon, chlorophyll and stable isotopes, nitrogen cycling (nitrogen fixation and denitirification) and oxygen demand. For water samples, measurements were of total suspended solids, chlorophyll and stable isotopes. The survey design was a natural experiment (i.e. control-impact, but not before-after) to test the long-term, broadscale effects of prawn fishing on non-target species and habitats. Deployments were stratified by fishing intensity (three strata) and day/night. The survey was repeated in three regions: (a) north of Groote Eylandt, (b) north-east of the Vanderlins, and (c) north of Mornington Island.

This dataset describes data collected from the Huon Estuary (Tasmania). Data was collected over a three day period approximately every three months from March 1996 until August 1998. 10 surveys were completed (HES1 to HES10). Data was collected from 61 sites, ranging from 0 salinity at Judbury to a salinity of 35 at the seaward end of the estuary near Huon Island. 5 sites were located near fish farms (refer to the separate metadata record for weekly data at these sites). At these sites, data was collected for all parameters (CTD, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, pigments, spectral absorbance and phytoplankton) measured. At a further 31 sites spread over the estuary, data was collected for the physical and chemical parameters only. At the remaining 25 sites, only physical (CTD) data was collected. Below Port Huon, samples were collected at three depths - surface, fluorescence maximum and from within the salt wedge. Above Port Huon, samples were collected from the surface and from the salt wedge (where present). This dataset forms part of the CSIRO Marine Research Huon Estuary study, conducted over the period 1996-1998.

This record references the database of the final data from the Huon Estuary Study. The data from the project's access database has been transfered into an oracle database which is available on-line to project members. The access database tables have also been exported to text files for archiving to cdrom (held in CMR Data Centre-May 2004.) Data Dictionary files have also been stored on cdrom along with technical reports which describe the data modelling undertaken for the project. The database contains ammonia, arsenic, ctd header, dissolved oxygen, mercury, nutrient, organic matter, pigment, salinity, sediment, suspended solids, taxon counts and dominance data in their final processed form. Data in the database was collected at 61 stations on a seasonal regime (HES Surveys) Weekly/fortnightly (CM Surveys)at 5 of those stations. A sediment survey in May 1997 (SED1) and a Contaminants Survey in August/September 1998 (HES10A) were also carried out. The study was undertaken over the period 1996-1998. Refer to the other Huon Estuary Study metadata records to explore datasets which were not loaded into the database such as the ctd, snapshot and moored instrument data.