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

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Anthropogenic noise

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Report Content

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

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Air pollution can be natural or anthropogenic

2016
Atmosphere
Key Finding

2016  Sources of air pollution include industrial emissions; vehicle and road traffic emissions; dust; and smoke from domestic wood heaters, prescribed burning and bushfires.  

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Australia’s heritage remains vulnerable to both natural and anthropogenic threats

2016
Heritage
Key Finding

2016Climate change poses a major challenge for heritage owners and managers, and has the potential for high-impact and irreversible damage in the absence of remedial action. Natural areas continue to be affected by invasive species, loss of habitat and altered fire regimes. Economic growth...

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Pollution sources

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content
Pollution sources are often characterised as anthropogenic (i.e. human-made), biogenic (i.e. natural and ... nonliving). For air quality, most of the concern is about anthropogenic emissions, because natural sources are ... of woodland, including the use of prescribed burns (anthropogenic), could reduce the frequency or intensity of ...
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Figure ATM30 Proportion of annual anthropogenic emissions by source type in the Sydney region

2016
Ambient air quality
Graph

Proportion of annual anthropogenic emissions in the Sydney region, by source Proportion of annual anthropogenic emissions in the Sydney region, by source Domestic-commercialCommercialIndustrialOff-road mobileOn-road mobile Particulate matter (less than 2.5...

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Some pressures are increasing, with uncertain impacts on the marine environment

2016
Marine environment
Key Finding

2016Since 2011, there has been an increase in most forms of vessel activity in marine waters. As a result, risks associated with grounding of vessels, anchor scouring, accidents at sea in ecologically sensitive areas, vessel strike of marine animals, and introduction of foreign marine...

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Ecosystem restoration

2016
Marine environment
Outlook
Report Content

2016 Marine environment Outlook Tasmania Marine ecosystems and their attributes, including species composition, ecosystem functions and resilience, are constantly changing. These changes can be...

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Outlook for Australia’s climate 2016

2016
Climate
Outlook
At a glance

At a glanceThe outlook for Australia’s climate depends on the effectiveness of international and national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Without mitigation, surface temperature increases of 3.7–4.8 °C above 1850–1900 temperatures are projected. To remain below 2 °C warming above...

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The oceans have somewhat mitigated the effects of emissions

2016
Atmosphere
Key Finding

2016  The oceans absorb CO2 and heat, and thus limit the rate and immediate extent of changes in climate. In recent decades, the oceans have taken up around 25 per cent of the annual anthropogenic (human) CO2 emissions. However, the capacity of the oceans to absorb CO2 is limited, because...

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Figure MAR18 (a) Transect lines for 2D and 3D seismic surveys, 1961–2012; total metres per square kilometre surveyed for (b) 2D and (c) 3D surveys conducted in Australian marine waters, 2001–2012

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Map

Download as pngDownload dataset Source: (a) Data from Geoscience Australia; (b and c) National Environmental Science Programme Marine Biodiversity Hub Figure MAR18 (a) Transect lines for 2D and 3D seismic surveys, 1961–2012; total metres per square kilometre surveyed for (...

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Figure MAR20 Spectrogram showing the main contributors to the marine soundscape in the Perth Canyon

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Graph

Figure MAR20 Spectrogram showing the main contributors to the marine soundscape in the Perth Canyon An image of the sound spectrum from 5 to 2000 hertz for September 2012, showing the alterations in decibels, on a scale of 50 to 110, caused by the main contributors to the marine...

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Resilience of our climate

2016
Climate
Resilience
Report Content

2016 Climate Resilience The ability of the climate system to recover from changes to the composition of the atmosphere (particularly increasing CO2 concentrations) is complicated by the fact that the removal of CO2...

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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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Figure ATM3 Radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750, and aggregated uncertainties for the main drivers of climate change

2016
Climate
Pressures
Graph

Radiative forcing for the main drivers of climate change, and total radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750 Radiative forcing for the main drivers of climate change, and total radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750 Radiative forcingaerosols positive upper...

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Effects of increased greenhouse gases

2016
Climate
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Climate Pressures The growing concentrations of human-generated GHGs have resulted in an increased absorption, largely in the lower atmosphere, of the heat radiated from Earth’s surface, causing an increase in the...

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Introduction 2016

2016
Inland water
Introduction
At a glance

The capricious nature of our nation’s water resources was evident during 2011–16, with: record rainfall and record dryness at local, regional and state scales extended and extensive flooding national water storage levels varying from above 80 per cent to below 50 per cent groundwater...

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Increasing population

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content
... This urban spread is increasing the spatial extent of anthropogenic emissions, to occupy a larger portion of the ...
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Introduction 2016

2016
Climate
Introduction
At a glance

Australia has always been a land of extremes. In a single year, we can experience heatwaves, floods, fires, cyclones and drought. Australia’s highly variable climate is influenced year to year by large-scale drivers in the atmosphere and ocean, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO...

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Overview of state and trends of coasts

2016
Coasts
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Coasts State and trends South East Coast South West Coast North East Coast East Coast What has changed since 2011?...

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Resilience of inland water environments 2016

2016
Inland water
Resilience
At a glance

At a glanceA challenge in assessing resilience of inland water environments is recognising resilience when it occurs, especially because Australian ecosystems have developed to be both resistant and resilient. We can contribute to resilience by reducing extreme and detrimental ecosystem...

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Risks to the Antarctic environment 2016

2016
Antarctic environment
Risks
At a glance

At a glanceAs for other regions, distant human activities can contribute to the key risks to the Antarctic environment, including global population, economic pressures and the effects of climate change. Management can mitigate many of the population and economic impacts, and climate change...

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Marine oil and gas exploration and production

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Marine environment Pressures Marine Temperate East Marine South West Marine North Marine North West Marine South...

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Residual risks to the marine environment

2016
Marine environment
Risks
At a glance

At a glanceAvoidance and mitigation measures, which are the primary strategies for managing impacts of activities on the marine environment, may not address all impacts associated with the activities. Management may be absent or only partially effective, there may be some impacts that are...

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Effectiveness of marine management 2016

2016
Marine environment
Effectiveness of management
At a glance

At a glanceThe diversity of anthropogenic pressures on marine habitats and communities by different industries and sectors is a challenge for managers. Some pressures are increasing, others have declined following implementation of management frameworks, and new pressures and new sectors are...

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Biodiversity: Ecological processes

2016
Coasts
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Coasts State and trends Tasmania Greater Brisbane Great Barrier Reef East Coast Connectivity Connectivity among...

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Overview of resilience of the atmosphere

2016
Atmosphere
Resilience
Report Content

2016 Atmosphere Resilience Climate The Atmosphere report considers both the resilience of the climate system itself and the resilience of our society to climate change. Our planet is somewhat resilient to increasing...

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Executive Summary - Antarctic environment

2016
Antarctic environment
Executive Summary

Antarctic environment 2016This report mainly focuses on the environment of areas administered by Australia (the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands), subantarctic Macquarie Island (which is part of Tasmania)...

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Approach - Atmosphere 2016

2016
Atmosphere
Report Content
... by the emission of pollutants to the atmosphere from anthropogenic (human) activities and natural processes. The ...
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Motor vehicles

2016
Ambient air quality
Risks
Report Content
Motor vehicles are a significant source of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions in Australia, ...
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Figure MAR19 Number of 2D and 3D seismic surveys in each marine region, 1960–2010

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Graph

Number of 2D and 3D seismic surveys in each Marine Region, 1960–2010 Number of 2D and 3D seismic surveys in each Marine Region, 1960–2010 East 2D3D 19600 19610 19620 19630 19642 19654 19661 19672 19680 19692 19704 19711 19720 19730...

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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.

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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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