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Historic Content you are reading content from a previous reporting year.

Showing 30 of 60 results

Climate extremes have resulted in widespread coral bleaching, habitat destruction and species mortalities in the past 5 years

2016
Marine environment
Key Finding

2016One of the strongest recorded La Niña events (2010–12), superimposed on overall increasing water temperatures, led to widespread bleaching of corals, loss of kelp forests, fish and invertebrate deaths, and changes in species distribution in western Australian marine environments. Also...

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State and trends of Australia’s climate 2016

2016
Climate
State and trends
At a glance

At a glanceAustralian temperatures have increased during the past 100 years, especially since the 1950s. This increase has also been observed at the global level, and is associated with increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The year 2015 was the warmest on record...

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Rainfall

2016
Climate
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Climate State and trends Greater Melbourne Broadly, Australia can be divided into 2 seasonal rainfall regimes: the north and the south. The northern half of the continent typically...

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Atmosphere

2016
Coasts
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Coasts Pressures Greater Brisbane Great Barrier Reef Greater Sydney Indian Ocean Airborne emissions Australia’s...

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Marine environment: 2011–16 in context

2016
Marine environment
Introduction
Report Content
... several climate extremes, including one of the strongest La   Niña events on record, in 2010–12, and the strongest El   ... in ocean temperatures and circulation associated with the La   Niña event, superimposed on rising ocean temperatures ...
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Pressures affecting inland water environments 2016

2016
Inland water
Pressures
At a glance

At a glanceOverall, the key pressures affecting inland water environments have changed little since 2011, with climatic and pest-based pressures increasing, land-use and management pressures remaining largely stable, and some stabilisation occurring in the pressure of water resources...

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Climate: 2011–16 in context

2016
Climate
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Climate Introduction As reported in SoE 2011, climate change continues to be a global problem. A major development since the 2011 report has been international cooperation to address the global issue, with 195 ...

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Coastal and marine species and ecosystems

2016
Biodiversity
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity State and trends Murray Darling North East Coast Tasmania Greater Darwin Greater Hobart...

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State and trends of inland water environments 2016

2016
Inland water
State and trends
At a glance

At a glanceOnline availability of flow data and water resources information has increased substantially since 2011, including: various state-based data portals a national repository with flow and other data for more than 3400 sites a national set of 222 long-term, high-quality reference...

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Climate and system variability

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Marine environment Pressures Tasmania Marine Temperate East Marine South West Great Barrier Reef Marine North...

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Temperature

2016
Climate
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Climate State and trends Australia’s climate has warmed since national temperature records began in 1910, with mean surface air temperature showing around a 1 °C warming since then (Figure ATM18). Concurrent with...

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Changing land use and management

2016
Inland water
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Inland water Pressures Tasmania Great Barrier Reef Land use and land management can produce pressures on aquatic environments that include changes to flow, water...

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Overview of state and trends of the marine environment

2016
Marine environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Marine environment State and trends Great Barrier Reef Marine North Marine North West Marine South East Marine...

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Toxins, pesticides and herbicides

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Report Content
... as 100,000 ( Menditto & Turrio-Baldassarri 1999 in Hale & La Guardia 2002 , Islam & Tanaka 2004 ); however, assessments ... and non-aromatic hydrocarbons ( Reijnders 1994 , Hale & La Guardia 2002 ). Because these compounds resist ...
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State and trends of habitats and communities

2016, 2011
Marine environment
State and trends
Assessment summary

The title of this assessment summary has changed from 2011. State and trends of quality of habitats for species Marine environment State and trends...

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Effectiveness of marine management

2016, 2011
Marine environment
Effectiveness of management
Assessment summary

Marine environment Effectiveness of management Triage responses to changes resulting from pressuresCumulative impacts and management of multiple usesSustainability and sector managementEnvironment protection systemsEvaluation of...

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Regional and landscape-scale pressures: Bushfire

2016
Land
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Land Pressures Bushfires (wildfires) are uncontrolled fire in the landscape. These particularly affect natural or seminatural vegetation, and have significant positive and negative effects on landscape and...

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State and trends in indicators of marine ecosystem health

2016, 2011
Marine environment
State and trends
Assessment summary

This assessment summary has changed since 2011 This assessment summary combines ecological processes, physical...

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Marine mining and industry

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Marine environment Pressures A wide variety of mineral resources exist within Australia’s maritime jurisdiction (Table MAR3). Mining of these resources, however, remains an emerging industry (AIMS 2014). As a...

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State and trends of Antarctic and subantarctic vertebrates

2016, 2011
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Assessment summary

Antarctic environment State and trends The living environment: Vertebrate populations Antarctica...

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Coastal waters

2016
Coasts
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Coasts Pressures South Australian Gulf Murray Darling North East Coast Tasmania Timor Sea...

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Recent climate

2016
Inland water
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Inland water Pressures South East Coast South West Coast South Australian Gulf North Western Plateau Murray...

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Pressures affecting the marine environment

2016, 2011
Marine environment
Pressures
Assessment summary

Marine environment Pressures Additional pressuresDumped wastesToxins, pesticides and herbicidesMarine debrisAnthropogenic noiseMarine vessel activityMarine renewable energy generationMarine mining and industryMarine oil and gas...

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Invasive species are a potent, persistent and widespread threat to Australia’s environment

2016
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Pressures Invasive species are animals, plants, parasites or disease-causing organisms that establish themselves outside their natural range and become pests. Although native species can also become invasive if transferred outside their natural...

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Water management in Australia

2016
Inland water
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Inland water Effectiveness of management We have significant and expanding knowledge of the relationships between water management actions and ecological condition that are essential for effective management. Much...

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Health impacts of air pollution

2016
Ambient air quality
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality Introduction South East Coast Greater Melbourne The major aim of monitoring and reducing air pollution is to reduce its adverse impacts on human...

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Livability: Natural environment

2016
Built environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Built environment State and trends Murray Darling North East Coast Tasmania Greater Brisbane Greater Darwin...

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Ecological processes and species populations

2016
Inland water
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Inland water State and trends South East Coast Murray Darling Tasmania Great Barrier Reef Lake Eyre...

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Regional and landscape-scale pressures: Land clearing

2016
Land
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Land Pressures Land clearing represents a fundamental pressure on the land environment, causing the loss and fragmentation of native vegetation. Depending on subsequent management, land clearing can also lead to a...

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Regional and landscape-scale pressures: Invasive species

2016
Land
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Land Pressures South East Coast South West Coast North East Coast Tasmania Greater Brisbane...

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Australia State of the Environment 2016 has been prepared by independent experts using the best available information to support assessments of environmental condition, pressures, management effectiveness, resilience, risks and outlook.

This site is a major undertaking to improve the usability of SoE information. We are grateful for the support of users in our ongoing efforts to improve SoE reporting.  Please report problems with the site via our feedback page.

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We, the authors, acknowledge the traditional owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community; we pay respect to them and their cultures and to their elders both past and present.

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