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Desalination Discharge Influences the Composition of Reef Invertebrate and Fish Assemblages
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Desalination Discharge Influences the Composition of Reef Invertebrate and Fish Assemblages

Brendan P. Kelaher, Graeme F. Clark, Emma L. Johnston, Tim Ingleton, Nathan A. Knott and Melinda A. Coleman
Environmental Science & Technology, Vol.56(16), pp.11300-11309
26/07/2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c00723
PMID: 35880958
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Desalination Discharge Influences the CompositionView
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Abstract

Contaminants in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) Fisheries management Assessment and management of benthic marine ecosystems Wild caught fin fish (excl. tuna)
Large-scale desalination is used increasingly to address growing freshwater demands and climate uncertainty. Discharge of hypersaline brine from desalination operations has the potential to impact marine ecosystems. Here, we used a 7-year Multiple-Before-After-Control-Impact experiment to test the hypothesis that hypersaline discharge from reverse osmosis desalination alters temperate reef communities. Using replicated, video-based, timed searches at eight sites, we sampled fish and invertebrate assemblages before, during, and after the discharge of hypersaline brine. We found that the composition of fish assemblages was significantly altered out to 55 m while the composition of invertebrate assemblages was altered out to 125 m from the outlet during hypersaline discharge. Fish richness and functional diversity increased around the outlet, while the invertebrate assemblages were no less diverse than those on reference reefs. Differences in faunal assemblages between outlet and reference sites during discharging included changes in the frequency of occurrence of both common and rare reef biota. Overall, we found the influence of hypersaline discharge on temperate reef biota to be spatially localized, with the reefs around the outlet continuing to support rich and diverse faunal communities. In some cases, therefore, the marine environmental consequences of large-scale, well-designed, desalination operations may be appropriately balanced against the positive benefits of improved water security.

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