The Distribution of Nutrients in Bottom Sediments of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), Australia

摘要

The catchment of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) is intensely urbanized and industrialized (86% of its area) and supports a population of four million, i.e. almost one quarter of the total population of Australia. Until 1890, when an ocean outfall was commissioned, all domestic and industrial waste was discharged into the harbour. Sewers led directly to the waterway and open pits taking effluent from slaughterhouses, pig farms and rendering works overflowed into creeks, which discharged to the estuary. The Clean Waters Act and Regulations in 1976 outlawed the disposal of material into the harbour except under license. However, several recent reports (NSW EPA, 1996; Anon, 1996) have shown that pollution persists in Port Jackson.