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Recreational blue space use generates important social benefits, that are supported by proximity to coastal and freshwater spaces. Yet, little research has explored different patterns of waterway use and how this is influenced by subjective perceptions about blue spaces. Here we draw on data from a representative survey of residents of South East Queensland (Australia) (N=3128) to develop a typology of blue space use and quantify the frequency with which different types of waterway are used. We identified five distinct groups of blue space users: three frequent use groups, and two low use groups. Greater proximity to coastal areas which permit diverse types of activities supported all three frequent use groups, while greater distance from the coast limited low use groups. However, subjective perceptions about enablers and constraints also influenced use. For example, frequent exercisers and regular users do report constraints, but these tend to be related to place and so reflect structural constraints, and also report high motivations. Non-users represented 13% of the sample, and reported low motivation, and high intrapersonal constraints such as not-belonging. Our findings suggest that behaviour patterns in and around waterways reflect both perceptions of the environment, and individual-level constraints that may transcend environmental context.

Managing receiving-water quality, ecosystem health and ecosystem service delivery is challenging in regions where extreme rainfall and runoff events occur episodically, confounding and often intensifying land-degradation impacts. We synthesize the approaches used in river, reservoir and coastal water management in the event-driven subtropics of Australia, and the scientific research underpinning them. Land-use change has placed the receiving waters of Moreton Bay, an internationally-significant coastal wetland, at risk of ecological degradation through increased nutrient and sediment loads. The event-driven climate exacerbates this issue, as the waterways and ultimately Moreton Bay receive large inputs of nutrients and sediment during events, well above those received throughout stable climatic periods. Research on the water quality and ecology of the region's rivers and coastal waters has underpinned the development of a world-renowned monitoring program and, in combination with catchment-source tracing methods and modeling, has revealed the key mechanisms and management strategies by which receiving-water quality, ecosystem health and ecosystem services can be maintained and improved. These approaches provide a useful framework for management of water bodies in other regions driven by episodic events, or where novel stressors are involved (e.g., climate change, urbanization), to support sustained ecosystem service delivery and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

Strain HIMB100 is a planktonic marine bacterium in the class Alphaproteobacteria. This strain is of interest because it is one of the first known isolates from a globally ubiquitous clade of marine bacteria known as SAR116 within the family Rhodospirillaceae. Here we describe preliminary features of the organism, together with the draft genome sequence and annotation. This is the second genome sequence of a member of the SAR116 clade. The 2,458,945 bp genome contains 2,334 protein-coding and 42 RNA genes., Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Science and Technology Center (award No. EF0424599)), Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa. School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Griffith School of Environment, Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology, Nutrient enrichment of coastal zones can lead to longer phytoplankton bloom seasons, shifts in phytoplankton community composition and a higher frequency of harmful algal bloom events (HABs). Predicting the effect of nutrient enrichment on any given coastal system is challenging, as the response is mediated by the physical and biological characteristics of the system and the way in which nutrients are delivered to the system. For example, in tropical and sub-tropical regions, the majority of annual nutrient loads are delivered via episodic high-flow events during the wet season. These events stimulate phytoplankton growth and are known to represent an important driver of coastal productivity. However, in populated coastal settings other nutrient inputs from point sources, such as sewage treatment plants (STP), are typically delivered as a relatively constant discharge. While chronic STP nutrient loading may be relatively low compared to flow event inputs, their continuous delivery throughout the year may represent a significant source of nutrients for phytoplankton growth, particularly during the dry seasons. These different sources of nutrients, and the spatial and temporal characteristics of their delivery to receiving waters, likely influence the responses of phytoplankton communities.