HAS JAROSITE DUMPING AT A DEEPWATER SITE OFF EASTERN TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA, HAD A MEASURABLE EFFECT ON THE MIDWATER ZOOPLANKTON AND MICRONEKTON COMMUNITIES?

摘要

The biomass, abundance, species diversity and length-frequency distribution of macro- zooplankton and micronekton at a deep-ocean dumpsite southeast of Tasmania, Australia, were compared with those of the Surrounding water masses. The dumping of jarosite -- a waste product of zinc refining that contains trace quantities of heavy metals -- began in l973. The dumpsite. which typically receives l70,000 tonnes of jarosite per annum, is in an oceanographically, and bio1ogi- cally, dynamic area. Depending on season and large--scale oceanographic effects, the dumpsite can be dominated by high--salinity. warm waters of subtropical origin or low-salinity, cool waters of subantarctic origin. The comparisons of the macrozooplankton and micronekton parameters between water masses, and between the two years of the study (l992, l993), did not show any changes that could be attributed to the jarosite dumping. Micronekton abundance was significantly lower over the dumpsite in l992. however, this appears to be due to the presence of a warm-core eddy in the region of the dumpsite i11 that year. Changes in the regional oceanography between years also appear to account for significantly greater micronekton biomass over the dumpsite in l993.