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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Wildlife Of The Gold Coast Wetlands, Shelley Burgin, Daryl Mcphee Aug 2015

Wildlife Of The Gold Coast Wetlands, Shelley Burgin, Daryl Mcphee

Daryl McPhee

Extract: Water in the landscape of the Gold Coast is dominated by marine and marine-influenced systems. The most obvious are the in-shore waters abutting the Gold Coast's world-famous beaches and estuaries. Little more than a glance at a map of the city also reveals the extensive canal estates built to take advantage of the marine waters, and indeed expand them. The waters of the rivers mix with the ocean's waters in the estuaries. These ecosystems are valuable nursery areas for marine wildlife, particularly, but not restricted to, fishes of commercial and recreational value.


Marine Environments Of The Gold Coast: Out With The Old, In With The New, Daryl Mcphee Aug 2015

Marine Environments Of The Gold Coast: Out With The Old, In With The New, Daryl Mcphee

Daryl McPhee

Extract: The marine environments of the Gold Coast comprise one of the most highly modified and heavily utilised waterways in Australia. Chapters 2 and 3 discussed changes in the historic land use patterns. Just what has this meant to the marine environments of the Gold Coast? In this chapter the contemporary marine h abitats of the Gold Coast are described, along with the fauna that those habitats support. We talk about how the current status of the habitats compares with various historical points in time, and the role of novel habitats. Given the impor tance of recreational fishing to both …


A Brief History Of Discovery, Settlement And Development, Tor Hundloe, Craig Page Aug 2015

A Brief History Of Discovery, Settlement And Development, Tor Hundloe, Craig Page

Tor Hundloe

Extract: If we can rely on anecdotal data, the answers to what is truly Australian will start with mention of the koala, go to kangaroos and then include the rest of Australia's peculiar (to foreigners) fauna. The only exception might be that if we asked a male from the Asian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) what he identified Australia with, he might answer 'Cricket'. Putting that aside, the Gold Coast is very likely to be in the mix of Australian icons. To capture the essence of the Gold Coast, we need to talk about its history in more …


The Impact On The Gold Coast's Terrestrial Environments, Tor Hundloe Aug 2015

The Impact On The Gold Coast's Terrestrial Environments, Tor Hundloe

Tor Hundloe

Extract: We tend to think of the Gold Coast as a water environment. As tourists know, it sits on the shore of the vast Pacific Ocean. That is why most come. They have seen the magnificent photographs. If not perched on flattened dunes looking east to the ocean, a significant part of the urban Gold Coast environment is located around natural and human-made water environments. Of these we will say little here, other than to note their extent. The focus of this chapter is the city's terrestrial environments, reporting on and ultimately, after describing the environments, discussing what proportion of …


State Of The Environment, Tor Hundloe Aug 2015

State Of The Environment, Tor Hundloe

Tor Hundloe

Extract: What have we done? What have we learned? In this chapter we turn our attention to the people of the Gold Coast and their environmental impacts, as experienced in the 21st century. The past is gone. The damage is done. Dramatic change in landforms and ecological relationships are inevitable in building cities. From this we can only learn and do things better in the future. This is why there will never be another Gold Coast like the one we describe in this book.